A woman was shot Monday morning after a dispute between the drivers of two vehicles on I-85 erupted into gunfire and became the latest in a string of roadway shootings in metro Atlanta.
Ladiasha Hill, 23, who was a passenger in a Nissan Altima driven by Bryan Payne, 24, was shot in the back after a black Mercedes-Benz sped up beside the Nissan and began firing, the incident report said. The two were at a club in downtown Atlanta together prior to the incident.
Hill was stable when taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.
At least 34 shootings have taken place on Atlanta-area roadways this year, killing 13 people and injuring others.
The investigation shut down the northbound lanes of the interstate just before the Ga. 400 split, causing hours of heavy delays through Midtown Atlanta. The lanes were closed from 4:45 until 6:45 a.m. while police were at the scene.
“It appears as though there was a dispute between two vehicles and that dispute escalated to a gunbattle between both vehicles,” Atlanta police spokesman Capt. Jason Smith said.
Hill told police she was not sure what led up to the incident, but that “all she heard were loud pops,” according to the report.
Payne returned fire after he heard gunshots coming from the Mercedes and after Hill screamed that she was shot, police said. Payne was unsure if he injured the suspect, according to the report.
Investigators recovered Payne’s gun after he showed police where he hid it among some bushes near the scene, the report said.
The suspect fled the scene and no arrests have been made. A man was led away from the scene in handcuffs shortly before 6 a.m., but that arrest was not connected to the shooting, Smith confirmed.
Police asked witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
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