Motorist fired shots during road-rage incident, prompting Wednesday night closure of northbound I-43 near Marquette Interchange

Sophie Carson Mike Johnson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A traffic camera shows I-43 at Wisconsin Avenue about 8 p.m. All northbound lanes were closed at Michigan Street.

A road-rage incident in which two shots were fired and struck a vehicle prompted the closure of I-43 northbound on Wednesday night, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said.

A man told the Sheriff's Office a vehicle cut him off on northbound I-43 at the Marquette Interchange about 6 p.m. He said he drove alongside the other vehicle and gestured at the driver, who then fired shots at him, hitting his vehicle twice, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Office.

The man said he followed the other driver off the McKinley Avenue ramp, but the driver ran a red light and he lost sight of the vehicle.

Northbound I-43 lanes at the Marquette Interchange were shutdown until shortly before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday so deputies could search the highway. They found a .40-caliber casing.

The Sheriiff's Office said it is looking for a tan Ford Taurus and a black man in his late 20s or early 30s with dreadlocks and facial hair and a white woman with blonde hair. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (414) 278-4788.

Wednesday's incident was the second report of shots fired on the interstate in three days. On Monday night, the Sheriff's Office closed I-43 south to search for evidence of gunshots.