Shootings in Kentucky, Washington add to highway violence that puts drivers on edge

Two mass shootings on freeways in Seattle and Kentucky this month — the latter of which sparked a manhunt — highlight the rise of such attacks and the dangers drivers face on the roads.

Joseph Couch, 32, allegedly wounded five people while opening fire on Interstate 75 in Kentucky on September 7.

California resident Eric Perkins, 44, allegedly opened fire on I-5 in Seattle on Sept. 2, injuring six people in three counties and hitting at least 10 vehicles with bullets, the public information officer said of the Washington State Patrol, Christopher Loftis, for Fox News Digital. .

KENTUCKY I-75 SHOOTING SUSPECT MAY STILL BE FOUND ALIVE AFTER DAYS IN WOODS, US MARSHAL SAYS

Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Joseph Couch. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Perkins was arrested and charged with five counts of first-degree assault with a firearm the next day. He admitted to the shooting to investigators, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, and said he had recently lost his home and was at Tacoma General Hospital the day before he shot the unwitting motorists in an attempt to to get help.

Six hours before the shooting, Perkins told police he thought people were “coming for him.” He later told them his friend gave him a gun to protect himself.

Seattle I-5 shooting suspect Eric Perkins is seen with his hands up after being taken into custody by the Washington State Patrol. (Fox 13)

The shootings came after Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that freeway shootings were on the rise in counties in Washington state, California, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Between 2014 and 2023, the number of people shot in road rage incidents nationwide increased more than 400 percent, from 92 to 481, according to data from the non-profit Archive on Gun Violence.

KENTUCKY POLICE IDENTIFY SUBJECT OF OOM HUNT AFTER ‘NUMBERS’ OF PEOPLE SHOT ON Hwy

This image released by the Mount Vernon Fire Department shows traffic stopped during an active shooting on Interstate 75 north of London, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Camden Mink/Mount Vernon Fire Department via AP)

Loftis told Fox News Digital that Washington’s King County has seen an increase in highway shootings. Just this year, the county recorded 37 victims of such incidents and 59 at the state level. Those numbers are on par with freeway shootings since 2023, but in 2022, he said, the entire state had just 33 such fatalities, with 14 in King County.

Statewide in 2024, there were 817 reports of guns on highways or roads and 631 reports of people hearing gunshots while driving.

Of those incidents, Loftis said, between a quarter and a third were gang-related. Another big part, he said, is committed by aggressive drivers.

“It’s a difficult thing to investigate,” Loftis said. “Traffic continues to move – by the time our troopers get there, many minutes have passed and the traffic has moved on.”

Gene Petrino, a retired SWAT commander with more than three decades of law enforcement experience in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., explained the difficulty of investigating a “moving crime scene.”

KENTUCKY POLICE RESUME HUNT FOR SHOTGUN IN I-75 SHOOTING

“Part of the problem from an enforcement perspective is you’re looking at different jurisdictions because these highways or freeways go through different cities, counties,” he said. “It’s a moving environment. You won’t have as many witnesses because they’re busy driving.”

Often, both Petrino and Loftis said, drivers don’t report shootings until after they’ve reached their destination.

“I’m sure it’s happened to you – you hear something while driving, see a small dent when you get home and assume a rock hit your car. Sometimes people don’t call until they arrive. home and see a bullet hole in their car. Because of that, you’re going to have a hard time with evidence,” Petrino said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Some states have been able to control the problem with increased enforcement.

Illinois has seen an increase in highway shootings in 2021. In response, police in the state have stepped up enforcement, saying they have begun using automatic license plate readers and other measures to reduce violence.

According to the state’s scoreboard that tracks highway shootings, incidents have dropped from 189 in 2022 to 129 in 2023. There have been 69 incidents in the state so far.