Gunfire erupted on Interstate 80/94 on Friday, Sep. 27, hitting three cars and sending two people to the hospital.
The preliminary investigation revealed that at around 5:30 p.m., troopers responded to reports of shots fired on I-80/94 west bound in the vicinity of Burr Street. They located a gray Kia that had multiple bullet holes and two people that were passengers inside that had been shot. A back seat passenger, a 23 year-old man from Gary, had been hit by multiple bullets in his legs. A front seat passenger, an 11-year-old from Steger, Illinois, had been struck by gunfire once in their leg also. The other two occupants in the Kia were not injured.
Two other cars, a Ford Focus and a Subaru Outback, had also been struck by gunfire. Both of these vehicles were each struck once, both had only one occupant, and neither were injured.
Further investigation showed that the Kia was westbound on I-80/94 in the left lane when a dark colored crossover type vehicle pulled alongside them and multiple shots were fired.
As both vehicles continued west bound driving in and out of the left lane and inner shoulder, additional shots were fired which struck the Focus and Subaru each once. The shooting appears to be targeted, and not a case of road rage.
The 23-year-old and 11-year-old were taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital in Gary with non-life threatening injuries.
Late Friday night, Indiana State Police received a tip about the suspect vehicle and the location of the occupants that were inside. This led them to an apartment complex in Gary and the impending arrest of four males and the recovery of four weapons.
It was learned that the vehicle that was involved in the shooting had been carjacked, earlier on Friday, in Illinois by gunpoint.
The four males, Naja Wilder, 18 of Richton Park, Illinois, and three juveniles, a 16 year old from Pendleton, Indiana, a 17 year old from Park Forest, Illinois, and a 17 year old from Illinois were taken into custody without incident. Wilder was also found to be wanted on multiple felony warrants through the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.
All were taken and incarcerated at the Lake County Jail in Crown Point and charged with Attempted Murder.
