Eisenhower Expressway shooting in Maywood injures 2

MAYWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- Two people were wounded in a shooting along the Eisenhower Expressway early Friday morning. The expressway has been the scene for dozens of shootings over the past few years.

Two people traveling in a car were shot after someone in another vehicle opened fire on them on I-290 near 17th Avenue in Maywood. One victim was shot in the foot, the other in the back. Both victims were transported to an area hospital, where their conditions were stabilized.

Neighborhood residents said they heard shots ring out around 12:30 a.m. Friday.

"I heard the gunshots, but I didn't think that would be gunshots. We really don't hear gunshots that much in this area, so it was pretty shocking," resident Starsha McCann said.

This latest attack brings the number of shootings on the Ike since the start of the year to three, which is just one shy of the total number of shootings on the expressway in all of 2018.

A spokesperson for the Illinois State Police -- which has jurisdiction over all Chicago's expressways with the exception of the Skyway -- was not available for comment. But according to state police data, highway shootings continue to be on the rise.

In 2015, there were 37 highway shootings. In 2016, that increased to 54. In the two years following, there was a decrease in gun violence, with 51 shootings in 2017 and 43 in 2018.

So far this year, the number of expressway shootings is at 22 and could be on pace to either meet or exceed last year's total.