Gunfire broke out on southbound I-295 in Prince George County shortly before 7 a.m. Monday, striking two vehicles during what police described as a road-rage incident, though no one was hurt. Officers responding to the scene near mile marker 4 detained a man who was later identified as 27-year-old Kahleb Michael Lutter of Hopewell, and a firearm was seized.
Officers were called to the area about a mile from the U.S. Route 460 interchange at about 6:52 a.m. Monday, according to WRIC. Two vehicles were struck by gunfire, but police said no injuries were reported. Officers canvassed the area, detained Lutter and seized a firearm, according to WTKR.
Investigators said there is no established connection between Lutter and the victims, leaving the circumstances that triggered the gunfire unclear. WRIC ABC 8News, which first reported on the detention Monday morning, noted that authorities said crime scenes remained active and that the incident did not pose an ongoing threat to the community. The outlet reported it had asked police for more information, including whether the detained man would face charges, and that authorities said an update would follow once the investigation concluded.
Conflicting Reports on Charges
Exactly what Lutter is charged with remains unsettled in public reporting. Fox Richmond listed three counts of attempted malicious wounding, one count of reckless handling of a firearm and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to foxrichmond.com. The Progress-Index, however, reported a longer list of 10 charges — three counts each of shooting from a vehicle and shooting across a roadway, two counts of attempted malicious wounding, and one count each of reckless driving and reckless handling of a firearm, according to progress-index.com. The two accounts do not match, and neither has been independently verified against court or police records.
The Progress-Index also reported that Lutter was being held without bond at Riverside Regional Jail in Prince George, per the same account. Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Prince George County Police Department at 804-733-2773 or Crime Solvers at 804-733-2777, according to WTKR.
Other Regional Gunfire Incidents
Gunfire incidents have also occurred elsewhere in the region. In August, a Virginia State Police trooper witnessed occupants of two sedans exchange gunfire near the intersection of Puddledock Road and Temple Avenue in Prince George County, according to WRIC ABC 8News. That confrontation ended in a police pursuit and a crash; the driver of one sedan was hit in the arm and flown by medical helicopter to a hospital with injuries described as serious but not life-threatening, while occupants of the other vehicle fled on foot.
A separate road-rage shooting occurred on I-295 near the Brook Road exit in Henrico County around 7 p.m. on a Wednesday, March 6, according to WRIC ABC 8News. In that case, police said a sedan driver fired roughly four shots at a Nissan, striking it once through the passenger window and out the front windshield, though the Nissan's driver was not hit and no injuries were reported. Virginia State Police said there has been a gradual increase in reported interstate shootings across the state since 2020, the station noted.
Monday's shooting remains under investigation, and authorities have said they will share additional details once that work is complete.
