Witnesses recount freeway shooting terror

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Almost a day after a person shot at least two people on I-17 before he was shot by DPS officers, a Valley woman is recounting the terrifying moments leading up to the fateful incidents.

The incident began at 35th Avenue and Indian School, where Phoenix Police said a 31-year-old suspect allegedly carjacked a 22-year-old man at gunpoint, and demanded the 22-year-old to drive him to Mexico.

The two, according to police, ended up on I-17, and headed south for about half a mile before there was some sort of a fight in the car. The 22-year-old, according to police, lost control of the car and crashed.

The suspect, according to police, then got out of the car, and tried to carjack several other drivers.

"My friend was driving, and that's when the guy came up and pointed the gun," said Kylee White Eagle, who say the suspect. She, along with her friend and her six-year-old cousin, were on their way to a family function when traffic began to back up on I-17.

"We figured there was a car accident," said White Eagle. That was when White Eagle and others saw the suspect, going from car to car, trying to get someone to open up.

"The guy was just pointing the gun and shaking it," said White Eagle. "And i didn't know if he was trying to get our car or something."

Another motorist said when he saw the suspect, he thought he needed help.

"My little eight-year-old daughter rolled down this window, and that's when the guy said, 'thank you for stopping my friend', that's when i saw his gun," said the man. "He pointed it right at my little girl, and I yelled at him. I took off, and maybe two seconds later, I heard three gun shots."

Police said the suspect shot two people, while he was allegedly trying to steal their cars. Once DPS troopers arrived on scene, the suspect allegedly pointed his gun at the troopers, and that's when the troopers opened fire.

The suspect is reportedly still in the hospital, but everyone shot are expected to survive. For White Eagle, however, the experience was, at the very least, terrifying.

"It's like instant panic, because I could have easily seen my friend get shot in front of me, and then it could have been me."