NORFOLK, Va. — The highways of Hampton Roads are central for commuting, commerce, and sometimes crime.
Interstate shootings happen almost weekly in Hampton Roads. Virginia State Police report at least 11 interstate shootings so far this year in the Chesapeake District, which covers Hampton Roads.
VSP investigated 35 interstate shootings in 2022 and 39 in 2021.
The latest shooting came Saturday on the HRBT. Investigators made a quick arrest in the domestic-related shooting.
But rarely are these cases so open and shut. The freeways can make for easy getaways, and most of these shootings happen in the dark of night.
For better context, we dug into our own archives and analyzed 35 recent interstate shootings in Hampton Roads. We found about two-thirds happened between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Two people died, but most victims survived with minor or even no injuries.
State Police report some of the victims have been shot, while others have been hurt by shattered glass.
Road rage is to blame for some freeway shootings, while the motive is murkier for others.
And no city is immune.
We found interstate shootings in recent years on 64 in Hampton and Norfolk, 664 in Chesapeake and Newport News, and 264 in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth, just to name a few.