Ohio Police Warn of Possibility of More Shootings

Police in Ohio warned Thursday of the possibility of more ambush-style shootings along a stretch of busy highway, asking motorists to call authorities as soon as possible if they were fired upon.

Deputy Chief Steve Martin of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said that “in the unlikely but possible” instance of more shootings along Interstate 270 south of Columbus, motorists should try to observe anyone in the vicinity and call the police emergency line if carrying a cellphone. Otherwise, they should proceed “to the first safe location” and find a telephone, he said.

He said some victims of the 11 highway shootings had driven for long distances before alerting police. A 12th shooting occurred at night at a school near the highway.

Martin refused to comment on a report in the Columbus Dispatch on Thursday that a 13th shooting may have occurred Sunday morning, six days after a woman was killed by a bullet that was fired into a vehicle in which she was a passenger.

The newspaper said the woman driving the car Sunday said she heard a noise and thought she might be having tire problems, only discovering damage to the body of the car after she got home. She reported it to police later in the week and investigators concluded the damage appeared to be from a bullet, although no bullet had been found, the newspaper said.

The state highway patrol said Thursday that one of the 12 earlier reported shootings involved a couple driving a horse trailer who said they thought they saw juveniles on an overpass firing at them.

Martin said that case was being investigated. He said the bullet fragments from that incident did not match those from four other incidents -- including the fatal one -- where investigators said the same gun was used.

He reiterated the belief that all 12 incidents -- dating to May -- were linked.