JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A group of masked men driving in a red car is believed to be responsible for a shooting that injured two and caused a miles-long traffic backup on Interstate 95 in St. Johns County, according to what witnesses told the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office released a dash-camera video on Thursday that gives insight into the shooting that happened on Tuesday morning around 11:30 a.m.
The minute-long video captured by a semi-truck’s dash cam shows the moment when someone inside the red car opened fire on a white Mercedes while it was driving south on I-95 near World Golf Village.
The video starts showing a white Mercedes driving in the left southbound lane. Then the red vehicle, which was riding behind the Mercedes, speeds up to switch lanes. The video, which does not have sound, then shows the red car slow down to get alongside the Mercedes before someone inside fires the first shots.
The driver of the Mercedes then slams on their brakes as more shots are fired into the car. At one point, a bullet can be seen exploding through the back window.
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As the red vehicle pulls in front, someone can be seen hanging out the back driver’s side window and continuing to fire shots back at the Mercedes. The red car then speeds off south on I-95.
The video does not show the Mercedes crashing but deputies reported that the vehicle hit the center guard rail after the driver was shot. A woman riding in the passenger seat suffered glass-break injuries as well. Both were taken to the hospital but their conditions are unknown.
The Sheriff’s Office said the victims do not live in St. Johns County and there is no evidence to suggest the suspects have any ties to St. Johns County.
Witnesses told deputies that there were four men wearing masks in the red car.
SJCO also doesn’t believe the shooting was caused by road rage, which former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director Tom Hackney also agrees with after seeing the video.
“You factor up the mask situation and that brings up all kinds of different possibilities of what could have occurred with this,” Hackney said.
Hackney said it’s unclear if it was an attempted robbery or a gang-related hit.
“You just don’t know and when you factor in that piece of it, it just adds a whole new level of frightening,” he said.
Hackney also said if someone was in this situation and legally possessed a gun, they would be with in their right to protect themselves by firing back.
If you have information about this vehicle or any other information related to this investigation, call Crime Stoppers at 888-277-8477 or the Sheriff’s Office at 904-824-8304.
Watch the full video below: