I-10 Freeway Shooting Prompts Full Westbound Closure: CHP

BANNING – All lanes of the westbound side of Interstate 10 were closed for several hours on Saturday night, after a shooting was reported on the roadway, the California Highway Patrol tells Patch.

CHP Officer Matthew Napier says the incident first came in via multiple 911 calls regarding a "freeway shooting" near Hargrave Street just before 6 p.m. involving two sedans. Though officers immediately responded to the area, they were unable to locate any evidence of a shooting right away.

However, a short time later a victim showed up at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning. He had been shot in his back, but his injuries were considered "non life-threatening," Napier said.

At around 7:15 p.m., the CHP closed all westbound lanes of the freeway "for evidentiary collection," he said. As of 9:50 p.m., it remained closed just west of the outlet shopping center, but was expected to open in the near future, he said. Traffic was being diverted off I-10 at the scales for the time being.

Traffic reports indicated an hours-long back up.

The case will be handled by the Banning Police Department, along with their gang task force, according to Napier.