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Someone Keeps Shooting Cars on a Phoenix Highway

A string of 10 potential shootings in recent weeks have plagued an eight-block section of Arizona's Interstate-10, with reports of a new incident emerging today.
Photo by Traci Carl/AP

A busy highway in Phoenix, Arizona has been the scene of 10 separate shootings in the past two weeks, and authorities are still on the lookout for a suspect after the most recent shooting took place on Wednesday and reports of another possible incident emerged on Thursday.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) tweeted today that it was investigating a "delayed report" of a commercial vehicle hit by a bullet, noting that no other information was available.

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We are currently investigating a delayed report of a bullet that struck a commercial vehicle. No other information is available.

— Ariz. State Troopers (@Arizona_DPS)September 10, 2015

Following Wednesday's gunfire on Interstate-10, Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead said authorities are making it a priority to bring the string of shootings to an end. He also asked for information from the public that could help in the search for a suspect. The bullet fired on Wednesday shattered the glass of a vehicle on the highway.

"Somebody is very aware of who this is," Milstead said, according to CNN. "There should be no benevolence for this person, or apathy. This is a cold-blooded crime. This person is a coward."

Since the 11-day shooting spree began on August 29, all of the incidents have occurred within the same eight blocks of the southernmost transcontinental highway in the country. No one has died, and the only injury was a 13-year-old girl who sustained a minor cut to her right ear.

Wednesday's incident comes after two possibly connected shootings reported on Tuesday around 5:20am, at both an eastbound and westbound vehicle, CNN reported.

"It's just a matter of time, if this continues, that we have tragedy on our roadways," Milstead said at a news conference Tuesday.

Related: Chattanooga Shooting Being Investigated as Act of Domestic Terrorism, US Attorney Says

Authorities also announced on Tuesday that a reward fund has been increased to $20,000 from $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. In the same press conference Milstead referred to the shooting spree as "domestic terrorism." The official refused to discuss comparisons with the deadly string of sniper shootings that occurred in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC in 2002 and claimed 10 lives, according to the Washington Post.

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Police said that they have not confirmed if all the incidents involved gunfire, saying only that some vehicles were hit by a "projectile," although a statement from police still notes 10 shootings. Investigators also have not yet determined whether the incidents are connected.

On the first reported day of the shootings, a bus with only the driver on board was hit and a third vehicle was struck late that night, with the driver noticing a bullet hole after inspecting her vehicle the next day, officials said.

Milstead said the agency was using its gang task force, special weapons and tactics personnel and undercover detectives for freeway surveillance, and was working with federal and local law enforcement. He urged motorists to be on guard and report any suspicious activity.

"If you drive that stretch of roadway, always be vigilant," he said. "Under these circumstances, be hyper vigilant."

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