BOURBON, Mo. (AP) — Two teenagers arrested Monday were accused in a shooting on an eastern Missouri interstate, one of a series that had sparked fears of a possible sniper aiming at motorists.
Police said the two were firing a .22-caliber rifle at a sign across I-44, and did not appear to have aimed at cars or drivers.
"We concluded they were shooting across the roadway, and there are thousands of vehicles traveling across that roadway," said Sgt. Dan Crain with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
One person was wounded in the shootings — a truck driver whose head injury on Oct. 21 was not life-threatening.
There have also been several cases of shattered vehicle windows along a 10-mile stretch of road near Bourbon, about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis.
Jeffrey Hubbard, 19, was charged Monday with second-degree assault in the case of the injured trucker. Both he and Paul Murta, 18, were charged with shooting across a highway, a misdemeanor.
Crain said authorities believe the arrests will put an end to the incidents. He said one of the suspects said he had fired at the sign on multiple occasions.
Both Hubbard and Murta were jailed in Crawford County. A message left at a listing for Murta was not immediately returned, and there was no listing for Hubbard.