A 37-year-old man who was shot to death inside his car while driving on Interstate 95 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Saturday night has been identified as police seek the brazen gunman who opened fire on the highway.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey is asking the public for information on a dark-colored, or possibly black, sedan that was traveling southbound on I-95 just before 10 p.m. when the driver fired multiple rounds into a black Mercedes, fatally wounding 37-year-old Justin Parker.
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The gunfire caused Parker's Mercedes to reportedly swerve into a Lexus SUV, causing the Lexus to crash into the woods off the highway, Morrissey said. The Mercedes apparently swerved again, striking the center guard rail before coming to a stop on the highway.
The family inside the Lexus was not seriously hurt, the DA's office said.
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Parker, of Chestnut Street in North Attleborough, was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His parents told NBC10 Boston on Sunday night that they are not ready to speak just yet but they are hopeful police will catch the person responsible for taking their son's life.
Friends say Parker was a father and lived in North Attleborough with his daughter. They can't believe what happened, or that the gunman is still out there.
"The fact that it happened while they were driving, that’s what's crazy to me," one of Parker's friends told us over the phone. "I know he's trying to be a good father. I feel terrible for what happened"
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The district attorney is asking anyone who may have seen any part of this incident on Saturday night, or who may have seen one or more dark-colored sedans speeding or driving erratically on I-95 before or after Exit 17 to call police at 781-327-9801.
"Anyone with information or suspicion as to possible involved vehicles or parties should contact investigators as soon as possible,” Morrissey said in a statement.
Drivers who spoke to NBC10 Boston on Sunday said they were shocked by the ordeal.
"You're driving 4,000 pound vehicles and then you start taking weapons and start shooting each other, then they become 4,000 pound projectiles at people – it's very dangerous," Foxboro resident Bob Engler said. "They’ve gone from a peaceful country to almost like a rodeo, people are just gun slinging out there. It's ridiculous."
"Not just the person they're shooting at, there are other cars on the highway. They're driving by houses 100 yards off the road and stuff, there's no reason for it," Engler added. "There's no reason to be shooting at anybody on the highways."
The fatal shooting closed two lanes of I-95, slowing traffic Saturday night as investigators worked to process evidence and clear the scene.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation initially said part of the highway was closed due to police activity near mile marker 15.6 and that drivers should expect delays.
An investigation into this incident is active and ongoing.
