Witness shares new details on I-5 shooting injuring Navy veteran

A witness has come forward with new information about a freeway shooting in Tukwila that occurred on President’s Day, Feb. 19.

Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper Rick Johnson said the witness, identified only as a California resident, was headed to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport via Southbound Interstate 5 at approximately 10:45 p.m. when he witnessed the attack.

The victim, Navy veteran Evan Hershey, was shot multiple times on I-5 in Tukwila in his 2015 Ford Mustang, suffering several injuries including a bullet striking his spinal cord. According to the witness, the vehicle that fired on the Mustang was a silver older model of a KIA Optima.

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“They observed the right-front passenger sitting on the windowsill, firing an automatic weapon — (a) rifle — over the top of the car toward the Mustang,” Johnson told KIRO Newsradio.

Johnson stated the witness did not see any interaction between the two vehicles prior to the gunfire. There may have been others inside the car shooting as well, according to the witness.

“The fact that there are three different calibers (of bullets) the detectives have determined leads us to determine there were other individuals firing on this vehicle,” Johnson added.

The witness said they watched the silver KIA after the attack, as it continued down I-5. They reported the car maintained freeway speeds, driving normally, as if it had not just attacked the driver in another vehicle. The witness then turned off I-5 and onto Hwy 518 toward the airport and had no other encounters with the KIA.

Trooper Johnson claimed this was the first witness who had come forward with significant information about this incident. He’s hoping the details will jar the memories of others who may have seen or heard something that night.

The victim’s current status

In the meantime, the victim continues a long journey to recovery. Susan Gregg with the Harborview Medical Center said he is still hospitalized in satisfactory condition.

A GoFundMe has been created for Hershey, who served two years as a Ceremonial Honor Guard and six years as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman.

A post from his brother, Adam Hershey, said Evan and his vehicle were struck by more than 20 bullets.

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“The most damaging of them struck his right flank, destroying Evan’s right kidney and striking his spinal cord,” Adam wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Without the control of his lower body, Evan defended himself by completing a controlled stop of his vehicle, rendering self-care, coordinating with emergency services and entrusting his employer to contact his parents. Evan’s courage under fire saved his own life.”

The family is raising money to help Evan deal with what they are calling his “new normal.”

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