2 vehicles on I-5 hit by shots; no one hurt

Police unsure if attack was random

By CATHY LOGG

Herald Writer

EVERETT — Three people narrowly escaped injury Thursday when a gunman opened fire on their vehicles as they drove north on I-5 near the Marine View Drive exit.

"It certainly looks like direct fire," Washington State Patrol Trooper Dan Anderson said as he inspected the bullet hole in the rear of a Dodge Dakota Sport pickup, one of two vehicles hit by gunfire.

"Even an inch (higher) and (the bullet) certainly would have gone through the rear window and into the passenger compartment."

Detectives haven’t determined whether the shootings were planned or random. Detectives are asking the public’s help to identify the car and the three people involved in the attack.

Witnesses described the car driven by the attackers as a clean, red 1994 to 1997 four-door Pontiac Grand Am occupied by three black men who appeared to be in their 20s. The driver wore a kerchief around his head, Trooper Lance Ramsay said.

Milde Claxton and her daughter Jessica Cooper were on their way to the Stillaguamish Tribal Center in their pickup after picking up groceries in Everett.

"We heard boom! boom! boom!" Cooper said. "It sounded like backfires. It was really close."

From the passenger seat, she looked to her right and saw a silver Nissan leaving the freeway at Marine View Drive. To her left, she saw a yellow Cadillac ahead of them and a burgundy car behind it, she said.

"Then I noticed (the Cadillac) had a flat tire, so I told my mom to watch out," Cooper said. "We just stayed way back. Then the Cadillac started fishtailing. We were slowing down."

The Cadillac moved toward the right and stopped on the shoulder, she said.

Only after the women reached the tribal center and started to unload the groceries did they see the bullet that entered at the base of the canopy opening and embedded itself in the top of the tailgate.

"I said, ‘Oh, my God!’ " Cooper said. "Earlier I was shaken up. My eyes were watering a little bit, and I thought, ‘My God! We could have been splattered!"

The Cadillac, driven by a 37-year-old Everett man, was struck by at least two bullets, Sgt. Barry Bartram said. At least one bullet struck the fuel tank, causing the gasoline to drain out, and one bullet flattened the tire.

The Cadillac driver heard a "pop! pop! pop!" Ramsay said. The man pulled to the side because of the flat tire and called a tow truck. When the tow arrived, he realized that the car had been shot, Ramsay said.

Investigators can’t say whether the Cadillac was targeted and the truck was in the line of fire, or whether both vehicles were shot at random, Anderson said.

Detectives ask anyone with information to call 425-339-1700.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Everett
Cat killed, 9 people displaced after duplex fire in Everett

None of the people were injured in the fire reported around 1:15 a.m. in the 11500 block of Meridian Avenue S.

Brian Henrichs, left, and Emily Howe, right, begin sifting out the bugs from their bug trap along Port Susan on Monday, May 22, 2023 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘A delta for the future’: Scientists try to save salmon at Stilly’s mouth

The Stillaguamish River’s south fork once supported 20,000 salmon. In 2019, fewer than 500 fish returned to spawn.

Mountlake Terrace Library, part of the Sno-Isle Libraries, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Sno-Isle workers cite safety, unfilled positions in union push

Workers also pointed to inconsistent policies and a lack of a say in decision-making. Leadership says they’ve been listening.

A view over the Port of Everett Marina looking toward the southern Whidbey Island fault zone in March 2021. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County agencies to simulate major disaster

The scenario will practice the response to an earthquake or tsunami. Dozens of agencies will work with pilots.

A few weeks before what could be her final professional UFC fight, Miranda Granger grimaces as she pushes a 45-pound plate up her driveway on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Lake Stevens, Washington. Her daughter Austin, age 11 months, is strapped to her back. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Daily Herald staff wins 5 honors at annual journalism competition

The Herald got one first-place win and four runner-up spots in SPJ’s Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest.

Panelists from different areas of mental health care speak at the Herald Forum about mental health care on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
At panel, mental health experts brainstorm answers to staff shortages

Workforce shortages, insurance coverage and crisis response were in focus at the Snohomish forum hosted by The Daily Herald.

Kamiak High School is pictured Friday, July 8, 2022, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Kamiak football coach fired amid sexual misconduct investigation

Police believe Julian Willis, 34, sexually abused the student in portable classrooms on Kamiak High School’s campus.

Compass Health’s building on Broadway in Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald)
Compass class teaches first aid — for mental health

A one-day course hosted in Snohomish County is designed to triage behavioral health challenges: “This gave me many more tools.”

The Wilderness Land Trust transferred a 354-acre property straddling the Wild Sky and Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Areas to public ownership, adding it to the designated wilderness areas. (The Wilderness Land Trust)
Wild Sky Wilderness grows 345 acres, as transfer chips at private land

The Wilderness Land Trust announced it had completed a transfer near Silvertip Peak to the U.S. Forest Service.

Most Read