Bay Area drivers were nervous Wednesday after a 28-year-old man was shot dead while he was behind the wheel, causing his car to careen off Highway 4.
Tuesday night's incident was the 18th shooting on a local freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officers believe that the Antioch man, who was driving a Chevy Impala when he was struck by multiple bullets around 8:20 p.m., was targeted. The victim's car launched off the roadway, barreled through a fence and landed within Pittsburg city limits on California Avenue.
The CHP's assurance that the public is not in danger didn't lessen driver Deandre Chriss' anxiety, though.
"I'm always traveling on Highway 4," he said. "I go back and forth on BART and we shouldn't have to be worried about people shooting on the freeway."
Officers issued a Sig-alert and blocked all westbound lanes on Highway 4 at Loveridge Road around 9 p.m.
"You're afraid to be out anytime," driver Ana Miranda said. "It could happen during daytime, nighttime — it's very dangerous here."
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Investigators flocked to the scene and traffic was allowed through around 1 a.m., officers said.
Bishop Carl Smith of Pittsburg's New Birth Church plans to meet with police and Contra Costa County leaders to find out what's being done about the violence.
"To have 18 shooting in the Bay Area and most in East County is very alarming for those who drive in traffic everyday" as well as people who live in the area, he said.
Smith continued: "It's like there's no line they won't cross over. They're doing whatever, whenever."
