One person was injured early Wednesday morning on the Stevenson Expressway near Pulaski Road on Chicago's Southwest Side, and a white sedan riddled with bullet holes was parked along the shoulder. The shooting happened just before 6 a.m. near 36th Street and Pulaski Road, the Chicago Fire Department reported. The victim's condition has not been released.
The Chicago Fire Department told CBS Chicago that the shooting took place just before 6 a.m., and the outlet reported that video from the scene showed the bullet-scarred sedan on the shoulder of the expressway as investigators worked to piece together what happened. Illinois State Police's Troop 3 patrols I-55 and other interstates, and troopers' responsibilities include criminal patrol and traffic enforcement along the corridor.
Other Shootings on I-55
Other shootings have occurred on I-55. In February, a morning rush-hour shooting on northbound I-55 near Damen Avenue left a driver injured before troopers arrested a 22-year-old suspect later that night, as Hoodline previously reported in its piece on the Damen Avenue road-rage shooting.
That February arrest came just months after a November 2025 incident in which a 29-year-old Chicago man was charged with attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm for allegedly firing multiple shots at another car on northbound I-55 near California Avenue, according to FOX 32 Chicago. State police in that case located and arrested the suspect the day after the shooting. More recently, in July, Illinois State Police arrested a 24-year-old Chicago Heights man on attempted murder charges after a road-rage shooting on the ramp connecting the southbound Stevenson Expressway to the northbound Dan Ryan, as detailed by CBS Chicago; no injuries were reported in that incident.
Statewide Numbers Show a Sharp Decline in Highway Gunfire
Despite the recurring incidents on I-55, shootings on Illinois interstates have dropped dramatically in recent years. Statewide annual statistics released by the Illinois State Police show interstate shootings fell 31% in 2025 compared to 2024, dropping to 61 total incidents statewide, down from a post-pandemic peak of 310 in 2021. State officials attribute the roughly 80% reduction since 2021 to targeted patrols and expanded surveillance technology.
Illinois also recorded zero fatal interstate highway shootings in all of 2025, the first time in roughly a decade that no gun violence fatalities occurred on the state's expressway system, according to Illinois State Police. That marks a sharp shift from 12 fatal interstate shootings in 2024 and 28 in 2021, per the department's figures.
Automated License Plate Readers on Interstates
Illinois State Police say automated license plate reader cameras have been installed on interstates in counties across the state. The Tamara Clayton Expressway Camera Act was enacted in 2020, according to the Illinois State Police.
Illinois State Police have used automated license plate readers on interstates.
No suspect information has been released in Wednesday's shooting, and the investigation remains active. Illinois State Police have not yet detailed a motive or provided an update on the victim's condition.
