INVESTIGATORS IN ARIZONA are pressing ahead with leads about a string of Phoenix freeway shootings as authorities announced that a man questioned in connection with them is not the prime suspect.
The shootings have left the city on edge for two weeks. Many Phoenix drivers have avoided freeways since the 11 confirmed shootings began 29 August, mostly along Interstate 10, a major route through the city.
A 19-year-old man from a Phoenix suburb who was detained on Friday is a person of interest, but Arizona police declined to say what led police to question him.
Eight of the cars were hit with bullets and three with projectiles that could have been pellets. One girl’s ear was cut by glass as a bullet shattered her window.
Police are still seeking tips, with freeway message boards across the city continuing to flash a tip-line number.
Motorists have also been calling because they believe they’ve been targeted.
Two incidents of cars that sustained shattered windows while on or near the highway were reported yesterday, but officials said one vehicle’s damage was caused by road debris and the other by a street sweeper.
The shooting scenarios have varied. Some involved bullets fired at random cars, others involved projectiles and one was apparently road rage, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Taking alternate routes
As the shootings intensify and get more attention, many drivers are taking alternate routes.
Ron Freeman, who works at a truck stop near Interstate 10, said he called his wife and family and told them to stay off the freeway until the situation calms down.
“It’s kind of spooky, man, when people can’t drive up and down the interstate unless they’re getting shot at,” Freeman said.
Authorities have appealed for help through social media, news conferences, TV interviews and freeway message boards. Many of the thousands of tips proved to be false leads.
Longtime residents still remember a string of random shootings that terrorized Phoenix a decade ago.
Nearly 30 people were shot then, and eight killed, including a cyclist who was riding down the street and a man who was sleeping at a bus stop. Two men were eventually caught and convicted.
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