MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — One person was hospitalized Sunday morning after an unprovoked shooting along Interstate 95 in Martin County.
According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the victim, a 59-year-old man, was shot at about 6 a.m. while driving northbound on a stretch of I-95 between Hobe Sound and Palm City.
Deputies said the man pulled over and called 911 with complaints of sudden pain, without realizing he had been shot.
Investigators said the bullet came through the victim's vehicle door and hit him in the stomach area.
“He did say he seen a vehicle right next to him, just prior to the shooting and could sense a flash from the vehicle as it passed,” said Snyder.
Not far from the scene, an off-duty Riviera Beach police officer who was headed northbound in the same area stopped his vehicle to assist a driver who crashed off the side of the road.
The officer got out of his car and saw the suspect, Aaron Fedukovich, 35, of Ocala, walking out of the wooded area holding a gun. Fedukovich also appeared to have been shot in the arm.
He was ordered to drop the gun and was taken into custody without incident while the officer waited for backup.
“Fortunately for us and fortunately for him, he reacted appropriately and got the suspect at gunpoint. The suspect dropped the gun and took him into custody,” said Snyder.
Even though the motive is under investigation, Sheriff Snyder had this to say about the suspect’s initial statement.
“The initial deputy that got there was told by the offender that he was firing someone that was in the mafia,” said Snynder. “Then he changed that story to say he saw muzzle flashes and was returning fire. Neither one or the other drivers that were involved in this were armed.”
Snyder said the shooter used a 9 mm pistol.
According to detectives, Fedukovich fired multiple shots at passing vehicles as he was driving north on I-95. One of the rounds hit the 59-year-old man, who was flown to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he was expected to recover.
"The thing that is so perplexing about this, so inexplicable, is that there was no reason for it," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said. "It wasn't road rage. You know, you think about these things in a road rage. It wasn't a domestic where a spouse sees another spouse and takes a shot. These are just two law-abiding motorists driving on I-95 feeling safe in their car, and they both take projectiles from an assailant who they don't know and for which there is no explanation."
Detectives said Fedukovich's gunshot wound was self-inflicted, superficial and not life-threatening. He was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and then taken into custody.
Fedukovich faces a charge of aggravated battery. He was being held on a $15,000 bond.
Detectives have also received a third report from an Indian River County resident who found bullet holes in his vehicle. The person was in the general area at the time of the incidents. Investigators were working to determine if the incident was related. The sheriff says if they can match the ballistics from the Indian River County car to the shooting, there would be an additional charge of aggravated assault.