'It needs to cease:' Potential shots fired incident shut down SB I-94/43 at National Avenue

MILWAUKEE -- Officials with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office were working to determine whether shots were fired on I-43/94 on Tuesday, May 21. All southbound lanes near National Avenue were shut down for a couple hours while deputies checked things out.

Potential shots fired incident on I-41/94 near National Avenue

Potential shots fired incident on I-41/94 near National Avenue

"It's just crazy. It's crazy! I don't understand it," said a driver.

The freeway was shut down around 11 a.m., and the journeys of hundreds of drivers were disrupted. The ramp from the west to the south in the Marquette Interchange was also closed, causing some backups near downtown.

"I'm 66 years old. I'm scared. I'm scared walking down the sidewalk," said Gregory Horle, neighbor.

Gregory Horle

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, deputies were investigating a "potential shots fired incident." Law enforcement was visibly canvassing the southbound lanes and rerouting traffic.

Drivers were alerted to avoid the area.

The investigation concerned those that live and work in the area -- because it was an all too familiar scene.

"I have no answer for it, but it needs to cease," said a driver.

Potential shots fired incident on I-41/94 near National Avenue

Potential shots fired incident on I-41/94 near National Avenue

MCSO officials noted they investigated three other shots fired incidents on the freeway in 2019, as of Tuesday. In March, a person was arrested for shooting in the northbound lanes on Highway 175, just north of State Street. Some of these incidents were caused by road rage.

The investigation into what exactly took place on the freeway Tuesday was ongoing.

Potential shots fired incident on I-41/94 near National Avenue