NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans police have investigated at least 19 shootings on interstates this year, according to records from NOPD.
The most recent was Wednesday night on I-10 in New Orleans East. As of now, police do not have any indication that the shootings are connected.
NOPD reports that a 28-year-old man was shot and killed in his car on I-10 East near Crowder Boulevard. Police learned of the shooting when responding to a crash on the interstate near Morrison Road.
Although the shooting was reported on the interstate, investigators said they believe the victim was shot on Crowder Boulevard and subsequently crashed on westbound I-10.
This followed another interstate shooting early Monday morning. Two people were shot on I-10 West near Tulane Avenue.
These shootings follow 17 others since the beginning of the year, according to our records from NOPD. They've happened on I-10, I-610, and on the Pontchartrain Expressway. That's where 25-year-old Ceyonne Riley was shot on June 30. She died two days later. The mother, who was driving for Uber Eats while working towards a nursing degree, was shot while driving home.
Criminologist Dr. Peter Scharf with LSU Health said this is not just happening in New Orleans. This week, there are reports of shootings on interstates in Nashville and outside of Dallas.
"This isn't a Zodiac case, I don't think," Scharf said.
NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson believes some of these shootings may be acts of road rage. NOPD also said earlier this year, investigators believe the shootings are likely isolated incidents and crimes of opportunity between individuals who know each other. Scharf agrees.
"The most plausible hypothesis to me is these are targeted shootings. They're not completely random," Scharf said.
This week, Ferguson told the city council budget committee he wants to add license plate readers on the highway. He's requesting a million dollars to purchase 150 automatic readers.
"Earlier this year we had several high-profile shootings along the interstate. So, a few of these resources will be placed on those highways as well as strategically placed throughout the city," Ferguson said.
Scharf believes the readers may not necessarily reduce the murder rate as the shooters may still act, just in another location, but he does think they would give police more necessary insight.
"You can't solve a problem unless you know what it is," he said.
In response to questions about the shootings from WWL-TV, NOPD officials said they have not determined if any of the shootings were related, but indicated they may have been premeditated in some way.
"Some incidents that have occurred on or near the interstate and other elevated highways may be targeted acts," officials said in a statement. "It remains to be determined whether any of them are related."