VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — More than a dozen vehicles along Interstate 4 and Interstate 95 were damaged by gunfire consistent with a BB or pellet gun Wednesday night, Volusia County authorities said Thursday.
- No injuries have been reported so far, Sheriff Mike Chitwood says
- Vehicles reported damaged in Deltona, DeLand, Daytona Beach
- Chitwood: Damage consistent with pellet, BB, or small-caliber gun
No one has been reported injured, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
The shootings happened on eastbound I-4, near the Seminole County line, and northbound I-95 toward Flagler County. The number of vehicles damaged was up to 19 Thursday as authorities received more reports overnight: 15 vehicles in Volusia, 1 in Seminole, and 3 in St. Johns counties.
"We are not able to connect all these together. We are pretty sure they are related, but obviously, we have to continue the investigation to document if all three of these shootings in three of these counties are related," said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes, who is based in Central Florida.
Volusia Sheriff's Office investigators talked to motorists in Deltona, DeLand, Daytona Beach, and Ormond Beach, they said. Motorists reporting damaged vehicles said they had windows "blow out" as they drove on the interstate; when they pulled over, they then noticed small holes on the side of the vehicle that hadn't been there earlier, according to Sheriff's incident reports.
The occupants of at least one of the vehicles were headed back after attending the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando, the reports say.
All of the damage so far is consistent with gunfire from a small-caliber gun, pellet gun, or BB gun, Sheriff's investigators say.
One driver told Spectrum News that she was heading down I-4 when she heard a "pop pop," which frightened her. Shortly after, she saw vehicles on the side of the road in the same area, then pulled over to find her back window had been blown out.
"I was scared. I’m going to be honest with you, I didn’t know what to think. Going 70 mph... You know, these 'pop, pops.' What’s going on?" Tanya Birch said.
Several law enforcement agencies are investigating. Troopers in Jacksonville said Thursday they were investigating a case of "possible road rage on I-95."
The FHP has identified a vehicle that it thinks might have been involved, a small silver SUV. Troopers are waiting for a warrant.
"We obviously go to the registered owner and start there and start the process of what their involvement is, if any," Montes said. "If not, then (we figure out) who had the vehicle and then... there is always DNA and physical evidence we can look at."
If someone is arrested in the case, that person will face felony charges, Montes said.
“This person who did this, or people, whoever it is, they don’t realize the danger they put in a lot of people’s lives in last night," she said.
Anyone with information in Volusia County is asked to call 386-860-7030 or the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 386-248-1777. You can also call FHP, Crimeline, or in the Jacksonville area, Crime Stoppers.
Last month, up to 30 vehicles sustained damage by a large pothole on I-4 in Seminole County.