Last Updated on December 15, 2020 by CCAR Staff
All southbound lanes of the 15 Freeway in Ontario were closed Monday night and into Tuesday, along with connectors from the 10 Freeway to the southbound 15, as California Highway Patrol officers investigated a shooting on the 15 that killed the driver of a pickup.
By about 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, the CHP log said the scene was clearing and crews were preparing to re-open lanes.
Fatal shooting on the southbound 15 freeway at Jurupa Ave in Ontario leaves one dead and all freeway lanes shut down at the 10 freeway. @NBCLA pic.twitter.com/lxYg2sefEd
— Eliana Moreno (@elianamoreno) December 15, 2020
Investigators believe the shooting at about 5 p.m. may have been a case of road rage, California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Olivas said in an interview with NBC’s Alex Vasquez on Monday evening.
“An unidentified vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 15, in the vicinity of Jurupa Ave. An incident occurred in which gunshots were fired from the unidentified vehicle. An unidentified adult male, driving a dark-colored Ford pickup truck, was struck by the gunfire,” Olivas said later in a news release.
“The unidentified vehicle fled the scene traveling southbound on I-15,” he said.
The wounded driver’s vehicle veered to the left and may have struck a light pole before coming to rest, Olivas said. The man seated behind the wheel was dead when officers and paramedics arrived.
It was not immediately clear if the man who died was the intended target of the shooting, Olivas said.
A description of any possible suspect in the shooting was not immediately available.
The freeway shutdown was announced at 6:21 p.m. at Jurupa Avenue, Caltrans reported. All southbound traffic had been diverted westbound on the 10 Freeway.
The shooting remained under investigation and anyone with information regarding the incident was encouraged to contact Officer J. Smith at the CHP Inland Division Office at (909) 806-2435.
