Two mass highway shootings this month in Seattle and Kentucky – the latter of which sparked a manhunt – highlight the rise in such attacks and the dangers drivers face on the roads.
Joseph Couch, 32, is accused of opening fire on Interstate 75 in Kentucky on September 7, wounding five people.
Washington State Police spokesman Christopher Loftis told Fox News Digital that on September 2, suspect Eric Perkins, 44, of California, went on a shooting spree on Interstate 5 in Seattle, wounding six people and firing into at least 10 vehicles across three counties.
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Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Joseph Couch. (U.S. Marshals Office)
Perkins was arrested the following day and charged with five counts of first-degree assault with a firearm. According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the suspect admitted to investigators that he fired the shots and said he had recently become homeless and had been hospitalized at Tacoma General Hospital the day before opening fire on a nasty driver who was calling for help.
Perkins told police six hours before the shooting that he felt like people were “following him” and that a friend had given him a gun for protection.
Eric Perkins, suspect in the Seattle Interstate 5 shooting, holds his hands up after being arrested by Washington State Police. (Fox 13)
The shooting comes after Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that there had been an increase in highway shootings 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 jumped more than 400%, from 92 to 481, according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.
Kentucky State Police identify person sought after “multiple” people shot and killed on highway
This image released by the Mount Vernon Fire Department shows a traffic stop following a shooting on Interstate 75 north of London, Kentucky, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Camden Mink/Mount Vernon Fire Department via The Associated Press)
Loftis told Fox News Digital that highway shootings have been on the rise in King County, Washington. This year alone, there have been 37 victims of such incidents in the county and 59 statewide. Those figures are comparable to highway shootings in 2023, but in 2022 there were only 33 such victims statewide, 14 of which were in King County, Loftis said.
Statewide in 2024, there were 817 reports of weapons on highways and roads and 631 reports of hearing gunfire while driving.
Loftis said between a quarter and a third of these incidents are gang-related, with aggressive drivers responsible for the majority of the rest.
“This is a difficult investigation,” Loftis said. “Traffic is constantly moving. By the time officers arrive on scene, minutes have passed and traffic has moved on.”
Gene Petrino, a former SWAT commander with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, explained the challenges of investigating a “moving crime scene.”
Kentucky State Police resume search for gunman in Interstate 75 shooting
“From a law enforcement standpoint, part of the problem is you have to look at different jurisdictions because these highways and highways go through different towns and counties,” he said. “It's a mobile environment. You're busy driving, so there aren't going to be as many witnesses.”
Both Petrino and Loftis said drivers often don't report shootings until they've reached their destination.
“I'm sure you've all been there. You're driving and you hear a noise, you get home and you see a little dent in your car and you think you were hit by a rock. Some people don't report it until they get home and find bullet holes in their car, which makes it harder to gather evidence,” Petrino said.
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Some states have had success controlling the problem through increased law enforcement.
Illinois has seen a surge in highway shootings in 2021, prompting state police to say they have stepped up enforcement and introduced measures to curb the violence, including the use of automated license plate readers.
According to a state dashboard tracking highway shootings, incidents have fallen from 189 in 2022 to 129 in 2023. So far this year, there have been 69 incidents in the state.
