INDIANAPOLIS — It was Sunday, and Alfredo Suarez-Perez, like many Hoosiers, was heading home from church.

The father of three wound through Fountain Square in his Nissan pickup, passing a red Jeep that a man was getting into along the way. At the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Shelby Street, the man driving the Jeep pulled up next to him.

With his window rolled down, he shouted at Suarez-Perez “to be more careful.”

Suarez-Perez started to drive away. Then, the barrage of bullets began, shattering his window and striking him in the neck. The gunfire caused him to collide with another car.

Drivers and witnesses in shops nearby rushed to help. As police responded, the driver of the Jeep remained at the scene and appeared agitated. A bystander told an officer the man had approached him and said he was the one who pulled the trigger.

Indianapolis police arrested the 31-year-old and later charged him with battery by means of a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness and pointing a firearm. He faces a maximum penalty of 14.5 years in prison.

Suarez-Perez suffered a fracture to his spine. He’s expected to recover.

The shooting in Fountain Square on May 19 is one of many examples in recent months of gunfire on Indianapolis roadways. While most road rage shootings happen on interstates, city streets are not immune. Data from Indiana State Police shows drivers in Indiana are persistently reaching for guns to settle their anger on the road.

On May 1, a 35-year-old man was fatally shot on I-65, sending his car off the interstate and into a pond below. In March, a 17-year-old girl honked at a driver who cut her off on I-465 and was met with bullets firing through her windshield. She was not harmed in the attack.

As of June 13, Indianapolis troopers have investigated 35 shootings on interstates.

Indiana State Police first noticed the troubling trend in 2018 and began tracking the number of cases. That year, troopers responded to nine shootings on Indianapolis-area interstates.

Since then, the problem has surged.

In 2020, Indianapolis troopers responded to 23 shootings on interstates. The following year, the number of shootings more than doubled.

“It’s certainly concerning,” said Sgt. John Perrine of Indiana State Police.

By the end of 2022, Indianapolis troopers had responded to 66 shootings on the city’s interstates.

The swell of cases has burdened the workload of the agency’s eight detectives in its Indianapolis district. Troopers have taken on some of the investigations to help, Perrine said, though that’s in addition to their patrol duties.

“We had over 50,000 calls for service last year in Indianapolis. So they’re busy as well,” he said.

Police estimate about 80% of interstate shootings in the past few years have stemmed from road rage.

Before, most people involved in shootings on highways knew each other, Perrine explained.

“The scary thing is, these incidents start with harmless intentions by one party. Then the other party goes immediately to violence,” he said.

Stressors playing out on the roads

What’s causing drivers to resort to violence over behaviors like honking, speeding and merging, is unclear. Perrine noted troopers have reported seeing higher speeds and more aggressive driving in recent years, though he and experts theorize stressors in motorists’ daily lives are playing out on the roads.

Dr. Danielle Henderson, a clinical psychologist with Indiana University Health, said in the past few years, many people report feeling more tired, stressed and angry. Those feelings may become exacerbated when they encounter heavy traffic or construction.

She suggested drivers may also be more fearful after seeing flare-ups of violence on the news, and feel they need to regain control.

“Things do feel heightened, and people may think ‘I want to make sure I protect myself before potential harm can come to me,’” she said. “Definitely not saying that’s right, but that may be an approach.”

She suggested drivers who feel their temper rising to check their posture and how they’re holding the steering wheel to release any tension. She also noted calming music and an air freshener in the car can be soothing.

Frustration on the road can also signal something deeper, Henderson said.

“Maybe think, ‘is this a sign that there’s maybe something more going on that I might need to talk to a mental health professional about?’” she said.

For drivers who feel targeted by road rage, Perrine said the most important thing is to not engage.

“Try to find an exit to the highway or change lanes,” he said. “Don’t take it upon yourself to try to change the driving behavior of another driver.”

Drivers who witness motorists experiencing road rage or aggressive driving are asked to call 911.

Perrine credited witnesses for the quick arrest of two people in the fatal shooting on I-65.

“We need people who see things unfolding to call us with information,” he said.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis road rage shootings surge with dozens reported in 2024