A Hammond man is in custody and charged with three felonies for a June 8 road rage shooting on Interstate 80/94 in Gary, according to police.
More Top Picks Best Gifts For Teachers
Jaymiere Isryael Johnson, 25, is charged with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony; battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony; and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, also a Level 5 felony, according to a release from Sgt. Glen Fifield, public information officer for the Indiana State Police Lowell Post.
Johnson was formally charged Friday and, according to online court records, is in custody in Lake County Jail with bail set at $40,000.
At around 5:45 p.m. Monday, troopers from the Lowell Post responded to the area of I‑80/94 and Burr Street after receiving reports that an individual had been shot while inside their vehicle.
Responding troopers located the victim at the Hard Rock Casino off Burr Street, where he had driven his orange Jeep Wrangler to seek medical assistance. The shooting did not occur at the casino, police said.
The victim, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, sustained gunshot wounds while stopped at the traffic light at the top of the Burr Street exit ramp.
He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Investigators do not believe this was a random act. Preliminary information indicated the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident that began on I‑80 westbound, as the vehicles were exiting onto Burr Street.
On Wednesday, officials said the Gary Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee identified as a suspect vehicle in Monday’s road rage shooting on the interstate’s Burr Street ramp in Gary.
As a result of the traffic stop, Johnson was taken into custody by the Indiana State Police and remanded to the Lake County Jail.
Detectives assigned to the Indiana State Police Lowell Post Investigations Bureau were assisted by the Gary Police Department and the Gary Police Real Time Crime Center, whose efforts were instrumental in identifying the suspect in this investigation, police said. Detectives also want to recognize Trooper Jace Haddon, who also responded to the scene of the traffic stop while off-duty and assisted throughout the investigation.