A man and a woman were shot while driving on I-20 West near the start of Wednesday morning’s commute, according to Atlanta police.
Officers got the call just after 5 a.m. It happened at exit 54 for Langhorn Street between the West End and Westview neighborhoods near downtown Atlanta.
When police arrived, they found a 39-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman. They were described as stable and taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Police did not say what they believe led to the shooting.
The incident blocked two right lanes for just under an hour but did not heavily impact traffic. Other wrecks around the same time caused more delays.
While interstate shootings haven’t made recent headlines, metro Atlanta sees its fair share of gunfire on the road every year. From road rage triggered by one driver cutting off another, to prior disputes continuing even after those involved get behind the wheel, some incidents have turned deadly.
The area saw an especially active year for road rage shootings in 2021. At least 45 were recorded that year, which resulted in 15 deaths.
In just one day, June 30, two separate shootings injured three people traveling on Atlanta roads, police said at the time. A third shooting damaged a driver’s windshield.
The first happened when two men were shot while driving on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard. It was not clear if the shots were fired from another vehicle, and the men could not provide police with a description of the shooter. Both were stable when they were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, according to police.
Later that day, a woman called police from Moreland Avenue to report she’d been shot. She told police she was riding in a friend’s car on I-20 when an orange Kia Forte pulled out in front of them near Boulevard in east Atlanta, and the two heard their windshield crack. The woman then began to bleed from her chest, a police report stated. She was taken to a hospital.
In the third shooting, a man said he thought a rock hit his windshield while driving on I-20. The glass shattered on him and his best friend, also in the front seat. He pulled over and found a bullet inside his Honda Civic. Neither the man nor his passenger were injured.
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