NEWBURGH HEIGHTS, OH — Newburgh Heights police are asking for the public's help to find the woman who allegedly shot another driver during a road rage incident on Interstate 77 Wednesday morning.
Sgt. Rachel Halaska said the shooting happened around 9 a.m. near I-77 North and Harvard Ave.
The shooter was driving an older model silver Ford Fusion - similar to the one pictured below - with visible damage to its passenger side, Sgt. Halaska said.
The incident started near I-77 and I-480. Sgt. Halaska said the woman was driving erratically. When traffic slowed, the man in front of her slammed on his brakes. Sgt. Halaska said this made the woman so angry, she drove around the other driver and forced him to miss his exit.
She said both drivers rolled down their windows and yelled at each other as they continued North on I-77.
Then, shortly after they went under the Harvard Avenue overpass, the woman pulled out a gun and shot the man. The bullet hit him in the buttocks, she said.
The shooting victim was not seriously injured and was treated and released at MetroHealth Medical Center.
"We need to get this person off the road," Sgt. Halaska said about the shooter. "If we're shooting at cars because of a morning commute, this is a violent person that doesn't need to be out there."
The road rage victim wasn't the only one who could have been killed.
The man's wife - and his 2-year-old daughter - were also in the vehicle.
"Thank God that this wasn't worse," Sgt. Halaska said. "He could have been killed. His wife could have been killed, and - God forbid - that baby that's just sitting back there on her way to her grandma's house. She could have lost her life over something so senseless."
Anyone with information about the incident should call Newburgh Heights Police at 216-641-5545. Callers can remain anonymous.
