Two people wounded after car with baby inside struck by gunfire on Interstate 5 near Elk Grove

Two people were wounded Wednesday afternoon after the car they were driving in with their infant was struck by gunfire on Interstate 5 just south of Elk Grove.

California Highway Patrol investigators briefly scoured southbound lanes for evidence after the incident, which happened just before 2 p.m.

CHP dispatchers received a call from a man who said he was driving on southbound I-5 just before Hood Franklin Road when he was struck by gunfire, said CHP South Sacramento spokesman Officer Jim Young.

At the scene, officers found a tan Chevrolet Impala on the shoulder with gunshot victims, Young said.

The driver of the vehicle, a 25-year-old Sacramento man, was grazed by a bullet on his neck; his 25-year-old female passenger, also from Sacramento, was shot in her left arm and possibly her right hand, Young said.

Young said there was a 6-month-old child in the vehicle that was not injured. The driver and the passenger told CHP officers that — at the time of the shooting — they thought they had a flat tire and then noticed they had been shot, Young said.

Both the driver and the passenger were transported to a hospital for medical treatment, Young said.

CHP officers are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the Sacramento CHP communication center at 961-861-1300.

This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 3:54 PM.