Spike in Interstate Highway Shootings Recorded During Pandemic
A new analysis examining nearly 3,000 shootings that occurred on or near U.S. interstates from January 2018 through March 2022, found that interstate highway shootings across the country spiked alongside the overall surge in gun violence over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic,
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A new analysis examining nearly 3,000 shootings that occurred on or near U.S. interstates from January 2018 through March 2022, found that interstate highway shootings across the country spiked alongside the overall surge in gun violence over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports ABC News. Interstate highway shootings rose from 540 incidents in 2019 to 846 incidents in 2021, an increase of 57 percent, with New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis seeing some of the biggest spikes.
In just the first three months of this year, at least 149 shooting incidents occurred along or near interstate highways and all the incidents in total resulted in 680 people killed and more than 1,600 people injured over the last four years and three months. Meanwhile, ABC 7 reports that, in response to this data, Illinois State Police leaders have moved the state’s best troopers to a new squad based in Chicago and installed license plate readers to target stolen vehicles or help investigators locate cars close to shootings. Since 2018, I-94 in Chicago has seen the second most expressway shootings in the country. The Eisenhower Expressway is also in the top 10 nationwide.
