ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a red car following a brazen late-morning shooting Tuesday on Interstate 95 near the World Golf Village.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, suspects in the red car opened fire on a victim’s vehicle on the interstate around 11:20 a.m.
The driver in the other vehicle was struck by the gunfire and crashed into the center guard rail. A female passenger in the car suffered glass-break injuries. Both were transported to local hospitals but their conditions are unknown.
The red car sped off southbound and has not been found, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A white Mercedes was seen at the scene of the shooting surrounded by law enforcement vehicles including a forensics van.
All southbound lanes of I-95 near World Golf Village in St. Johns County were shut down Tuesday morning after the shooting, causing a huge backup for hours. The lanes later reopened.
News4JAX spotted rescue vehicles and half a dozen police cars near the 327-mile marker around 11:45 a.m.
Retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director Tom Hackney said shootings that happen while driving add a challenging factor for investigations.
“This occurred during a time that the cars were moving. So the potential for physical evidence is spread over (what) could be a very large distance. So from a forensic standpoint, to collect any shell casings or any evidence, it just adds a factor of difficulty to it,” Hackney said.
Hackney said it is rare to have a photo of the suspected shooter’s vehicle.
“With that photograph that’s out there, somebody will recognize that car, somebody in our viewing area will certainly recognize that car and can phone the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office or CrimeStoppers,” he said.
There is a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
This is not the first shooting to take place on the interstate.
In August, a man was killed on I-95 North near the Trout River Bridge. According to JSO, someone reported seeing someone shooting at the victim’s car. When officers responded, they found the man’s car crashed into the back of a semitruck.
No arrests have been made in that case.