I-95 reopens after early morning shooting shuts down highway for hours

LAUREL, Md. - A portion of Interstate 95 in Maryland reopened Monday night after a shooting earlier in the day led to the closure of all northbound lanes for several hours, causing major delays for commuters.

The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. when police responded to reports of a 28-year-old man who had been shot. 

The victim, later identified as Ronald Victor Garcia-Rodriguez of Laurel, was found lying on the shoulder of the highway near Route 216. 

He was transported to the R. Adam’s Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. His condition has not been disclosed.

According to Maryland State Police, Garcia-Rodriguez was alone at the time of the shooting. The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear.

Elena Russo, spokesperson for Maryland State Police, stated, "At this point, we believe the victim was by themselves when the incident occurred ... we do not believe this is a road rage incident, we believe the suspect and victim knew each other."

Garcia-Rodriguez's car was left at the scene, and there are no visible bullet holes or shattered glass. 

Investigators are still working to determine whether he was shot inside the vehicle or if he had stopped and stepped outside when the shooting occurred.

The investigation caused a major disruption for morning drivers, with all northbound lanes of I-95 closed for approximately six hours. The closure stretched from early morning until around 11:00 a.m., creating significant traffic congestion.

Russo explained the lengthy closure, saying, "Our investigators needed to gather evidence… it was very time-consuming, crime scene techs, homicide investigators were on site… it was quite a large scene."

As of now, police have not released any suspect information or vehicle descriptions, and no arrests have been made. Authorities are asking anyone who was driving on I-95 northbound around 4:30 a.m. to contact Maryland State Police if they witnessed anything unusual

Anyone with information is urged to contact Maryland State Police.