Target Shooters Suspected of Wounding Motorist on MN Freeway

Harris, MN (KROC-AM News) - It appears a group of men target shooting were responsible for a gunshot wound suffered by a motorist driving on I-35 in east-central Minnesota this morning.

The Chisago County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a 911 call around 10:40 a.m. from a passenger in a vehicle that was traveling south on the freeway near Harris. The caller reported that the driver of the vehicle had been shot in the leg and that it appeared the bullet entered through the driver’s side door.

A news release says the responding deputies reported hearing gunfire consistent with rifle target shooting when they arrived at the scene. Law enforcement officers and personnel from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, with assistance from drones, located three adult males on private property along I-35.

The Sheriff's Office says they were shooting rifles at a target that was positioned in the direction of the freeway. The news release estimates the distance from their location to where the motorist was shot at more than 1,500 feet.

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The driver of the car, identified only as a 48-year-old man from Duluth, was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul to be treated for the non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The three passengers in the vehicle were not hurt.

The incident remains under investigation.

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