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Driver, passenger shot on I-405 in Renton

RENTON, Wash. — A driver and a passenger, who were both wounded by gunfire while traveling on busy I-405, told detectives the shots were fired from a dark Escalade or Navigator-type SUV.

The two men, ages 23 and 24, were shot while they drove southbound on Interstate 405 near the State Route 167 interchange. This all happened during rush hour traffic, according to Renton detectives.

A conflict between the men in the car and the SUV began shortly before 5 pm. on Highway 167 near Kent, police said. As the two vehicles merged onto I-405 in Renton, someone in the SUV opened fire, riddling the white Chevy Caprice with bullet holes, police said.

It happened near the railroad overpass, just before the vehicles passed the Family Fun Center, which is usually crowded with children. A woman in the back seat of the Caprice was not hurt.

The wounded driver of the car continued driving through Tukwila to I-5 and finally stopped on a south Beacon Hill street, where he knew people nearby.

Detectives are still trying to find a motive for the shooting by talking to the wounded men, who were taken to Harborview Medical Center.  Police say both are expected to survive.

Detectives told KIRO 7’s Gary Horcher there is one very unusual and confusing issue with this case; dispatchers didn’t receive a single 911 call from any other drivers from the congested interstate, who would have been near the shooting as it happened. Renton police told KIRO-7 they plan to release a more detailed description of the suspect’s SUV on Thursday.

Anyone with information is asked to call 425-430-7500 and reference case number 13-8201.