Semi driver badly hurt in road rage shooting

WHITESTOWN, Ind. (WISH) — A semitruck driver was in critical condition, police said Friday, and a suspect remained at large in a road rage shooting on Wednesday afternoon.

Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department in a Friday news release said officers responded at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to a semi that had run off I-65 northbound and stopped on Perry Worth Road in front of WoodSpring Suites Indianapolis Zionsville, an extended-stay hotel.

A deputy from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office was passing by and saw the semi off the road. Bystanders told the deputy that the male semi driver had been shot, and the deputy began rendering aid.

Witnesses told officers that the semi driver was in a road rage shooting. According to a release, the suspect’s vehicle was brake-checking multiple semis while traveling north on I-65, and disrupting traffic.

The suspect’s vehicle was described as a black sedan, driven by a female with a male in the passenger seat, witnesses reported.

Whitestown Police Department said Friday that its investigation is incomplete, and the male driver’s identity will be released once a family notification has been made.

In regard to the delayed sharing of information about the incident, Whitestown police Capt. John Jurkash, the department’s public information officer, wrote, “We appreciate all of your patience as this was a very chaotic incident that coincided with the busyness of holiday events, and lastly, we prioritized notification of the victim’s family due to his ever-changing condition.”

Indiana Department of Transportation traffic cameras did not capture the shooting “due to the continuous running loop of the cameras,” Jurkash said.

Anyone with any information, footage, or tips that would assist in the investigational process was asked to contact the Whitestown police at 317-769-2677, or the Boone County Communications Center at 765-482-1412.

News 8’s Gregg Montgomery contributed to this story.