Road rage shootings down across Michigan, up nationwide
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Road rage shootings have decreased in Michigan, but they've skyrocketed over the past decade nationwide, a new analysis finds.
The big picture: The findings, from an analysis of Gun Violence Archive (GVA) data by gun violence newsroom The Trace, mirror a broader increase in gun-related violence.
- The organization found the incidents increased by 83 nationally in 2014 to 456 in 2023 — a nearly 450% jump and an average of 23% each year over the past decade, The Trace reports.
By the numbers: Road rage incidents in Michigan have dropped since 2020, when the state averaged almost two shooting incidents per 1 million people. Between 2014 and 2023, Michigan has averaged one shooting incident per 1 million people.
- New Mexico (2.65 average shooting incidents per 1 million people between 2014 and 2023), Wisconsin (1.94) and Tennessee (1.91) are the country's road rage shooting hotspots.
Zoom in: Metro Detroit has experienced a handful of road rage shootings this year. Sterling Heights police are searching for a man who shot and wounded another man last month.
- On Feb. 29, an altercation in Detroit left a 49-year-old man dead, while a separate road rage shooting resulted in felony charges for a 23-year-old Mount Morris man for allegedly shooting a woman on I-75.
- Two women were shot in Sterling Heights during a road rage shooting earlier that month, WDIV reported.
- Also in February, a mother driving with three children was shot at I-94 and Moross Road in Detroit, Fox 2 reported.
Caveat: Some incidents go unreported, so not every relevant episode is captured.