Northbound I-75 in Oakland County was closed at Baldwin Road Wednesday evening while Michigan State Police investigated a report of shots fired near Ortonville Road at about 5:40 p.m. Drivers were urged to use alternate routes as investigators processed the scene. No injuries were reported.
Michigan State Police said troopers and detectives from the Second District Freeway Investigative Support Team closed the freeway to collect evidence. Investigators had not released information about a possible suspect or vehicle, according to CBS News. Anyone with information was asked to contact Michigan State Police.
A Familiar Stretch of Freeway
The closure affected the section of I-75 between Baldwin Road in Orion Township and Ortonville Road in Brandon Township. The available information does not specify how long the emergency closure would last or identify designated detour routes.
This is not the first documented shooting or road-rage case on an Oakland County freeway. The Oakland Press reported that on Feb. 22, 2024, in Groveland Township near Grange Hall Road, 23-year-old Thomas Robert Trim of Mt. Morris was accused of firing at another driver during an alleged road-rage encounter. No injuries were reported, and the case advanced to Oakland County Circuit Court. That earlier case is separate from Wednesday's shooting. In May, Oakland County sheriff's deputies also responded to a shooting and carjacking at the Baldwin Commons shopping complex on Baldwin Road in Orion Township.
Planned work on the corridor
The shooting-related closure occurred along a corridor that was also subject to planned transportation work. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, bridge and road work continued on I-75 between M-15, or Ortonville Road, and the Oakland/Genesee county line, with left-lane closures planned between Clarkston Road and Baldwin Road from the week of March 23 through the end of June. The available MDOT information does not provide a traffic count for the Baldwin Road-to-Ortonville Road segment or identify designated state or county detour routes. A separate MDOT Memorial Day update said two lanes were open in each direction between Ortonville Road and Baldwin Road. That was a planned traffic configuration, distinct from the emergency closure, and the available notices do not establish the exact lane arrangement in effect when the shooting investigation began.
The Unit Built to Catch Highway Shooters
The Freeway Investigative Support Team, known as FIST, formed on May 1, according to the same account. The unit was formed as part of an effort to address freeway crime.
State police have said license plate readers would be used on some freeways. No figures were provided on how often investigators used freeway camera technology in shooting cases or whether those cases led to arrests.
Construction and Traffic Complicate Emergency Response
Construction along I-75 can add to the difficulty of investigating incidents like Wednesday's by complicating emergency response.
The broader issue of firearm violence is not addressed by the available information. For now, investigators have not said whether Wednesday's I-75 gunfire stemmed from a targeted dispute or a road rage encounter. Michigan State Police have not released a suspect description or vehicle details, and anyone with information is asked to contact troopers directly.
