The number of vehicles hit in the I10 shootings in Phoenix now stands at 11, after a truck driver reported Thursday morning that the cargo area of his truck appeared to have been struck by a bullet or other projectile, The Arizona Republic is reporting .
INVESTIGATION: Troopers and Detectives on scene conduction investigation into projectile hitting semi. #DPSNews pic.twitter.com/5KTccXW7SO
— Tim Case, PIO (@dps_pio_case) September 10, 2015
Since August 29, according to USA Today , 11 vehicles have been struck by bullets or other projectiles along a stretch of I10 in Phoenix; at least three of the shootings involved a BB gun. The first three shootings all took place on the same day; two passenger vehicles and an empty tour bus were shot, followed by one shooting each over the next two days (a car and a pickup truck), a cargo truck and a car on Sunday, a cargo truck and a pickup truck on Tuesday, and another pickup truck on Wednesday.
The 11th shooting was confirmed Thursday morning, when the driver of a tractor trailer noticed that the cargo area had been shot. Police are investigating two other Thursday morning reports of vehicle damage, but they have not yet confirmed whether or not those reports are tied to the I10 shootings.
As of this post, there have been no injuries associated with the shootings.
On Thursday, Arizona Governor Doug Doucey issued a statement asking Phoenix residents to stay calm, yet alert.
“The safety of Arizonans is our Number One priority, and we are committed to apprehending those responsible for these crimes. I ask all Arizonans to stay alert and contact authorities with any information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of responsible parties. I assure you, this is the top the priority for the Department of Public Safety and the state of Arizona.”
Meanwhile, police are asking for tips that could lead to the identity of the shooter or shooters, and this week quadrupled the reward to $20,000.
Freeway shootings: DPS confirms 11 reported incidents. http://t.co/G2uYwnnOxf pic.twitter.com/0nQxRlAY6U
— azcentral (@azcentral) September 10, 2015
This is not the first time Phoenix has been terrorized by a highway shooter; over a 15-month period in 2005 and 2006, Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman killed eight people, as well as numerous horses and dogs, during a highway shooting spree.
As of this post, investigators have not uncovered a possible motive in the I10 shooting spree in Phoenix.
[Image courtesy of: Shutterstock/ bigjom jom ]
