
Tennessee Highway Patrol officers are knocking on doors of houses along Interstate 81 in order to search for a suspect who shot at several vehicles.
Three similar shootings were reported this month on I-81 in Hamblen and Jefferson Counties. All the incidents occurred at night and no one was injured.
The first incident happened on September 9th around 11 p.m. A truck driver was headed north on I-81 near mile marker 17 when he saw a bright flash coming from a passing vehicle. Police did not find a bullet or bullet hole on the truck.
The second incident occurred on September 18th around midnight. An armored vehicle was traveling north on I-81 when its occupants heard a loud sound between mile marker 4 and 20. Assuming they had blown a tire, the driver pulled over.
That’s when they discovered a bullet hole in the passenger side of the cab.
The third incident took place on September 27th around 9 p.m.
A northbound van carrying a family was near mile marker 10 on I-81 when a bullet struck the windshield.
Right before it happened, the driver noticed that a silver Toyota Camry with one headlight had passed their vehicle.
Police issued a warning to drivers to use extreme caution while traveling in Hamblen and Jefferson Counties.
Authorities believe that a homeowner may be the suspect responsible. Investigators are interviewing residents in the area and officers are visiting houses door-to-door along northbound I-81 between mile marker 8 and 12.
Officials hope that information gathered by the public will lead to the person responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Kevin Kimbrough with the THP-Criminal Investigation Division at 423-426-6571 or Detective Lieutenant David Stapleton with the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department at 423-586-3781.