2 killed, 1 hurt in Dallas-area road shootings

DALLAS " Authorities pressed a manhunt Tuesday for a gunman in a pickup truck who is suspected of killing two people and injuring another in a series of rush hour shootings on Dallas-area roads.

The suspect was last seen Monday evening heading west on Interstate 635, which loops Dallas and connects to other interstates, said Sgt. Gil Cerda, a Dallas police spokesman.

The shootings happened within minutes of each other. Afterward, rush hour traffic slowed along the highway as police shut down all westbound lanes of 635 east of the shooting scenes for several hours.

"I'm getting shot at! I think I'm shot!" the injured big rig driver said in a radio call to his employer, according to a report by The Dallas Morning News.

The employer, Jesse Medford, terminal manager with Dugan Truck Line, told the newspaper that he instructed his driver to pull over, and Medford then called 911.

The driver was injured by debris and glass but not struck by a bullet.

Police had a few witnesses after the shootings and were hoping to contact more. "We've got detectives working," Cerda said.

The first shooting occurred around 5:45 p.m. Monday in Garland, a Dallas suburb. A pickup truck heading south on a major road pulled up alongside a small Nissan stopped at a red light and began shooting, police spokesman Joe Harn said. The car's driver, 20-year-old Jorge Lopez, of Rowlett, was killed.

Witnesses told police the pickup then drove off toward I-635 in Dallas, where an 18-wheeler was shot at shortly after. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not hurt, police said.

The suspect continued west on the highway, then shot and killed the driver of a United Van Lines 18-wheeler rig, Cerda said.

Lt. Craig Miller of the Dallas homicide unit said the victim was 42-year-old William Scott Miller, of Frankfort, Ky.

Then the suspect drove about a quarter- to a half-mile on the interstate and fired at Medford's employee driving an 18-wheeler.

The driver told Medford that he did not know who was shooting and could not give a detailed description of the assailant, newspaper reported.

"He didn't say anything about any type of road rage," Medford said.

Police are looking for a suspect described as a balding white man in his 40s, driving a tan Ford F-150 extended cab pickup.