One truck driver heard something hit his driver's side door. Another thought a rock shattered her wind-shield. Another saw an object come through his wind-shield and scrape his shoulder.

The three tractor-trailer drivers were all victims of a shooter who seemed to have picked an isolated overpass in Calhoun County Tuesday night as a location for firing on trucks traveling on Interstate 26.

The Calhoun County Sheriff's Department now believes it knows the overpass the shooter used, but knows little else about the person who fired at the trucks.

"We're hoping a witness will come forward who may not even know they're a witness at this time," Sheriff Thomas Summers said Wednesday. Maybe it's a person who spotted something suspicious Tuesday night.

Deputies and troopers are making additional patrols of the overpasses, hoping to find additional information and to ward off trouble.

"There will be an extra presence of law enforcement at the overpasses, looking for any suspicious activity whatsoever," Summers said.

Summers said drivers should not be alarmed, but should "be cautious, be aware."

The shootings started at about 6:30 p.m. The first victim, a trucker from Maiden, N.C., reported he was driving west around the 134 mile marker when an object came through the upper passenger's side of his wi-ield.

The object struck the trucker on his shoulder, leaving a small abrasion. The 42-year-old was treated by EMS, but said he'd see his own doctor at home.

The second victim, of Chuckey, Tenn., said she was driving east near the 134 mile marker when her wi-ield shattered. She thought her truck had been hit by a rock, until she pulled over to the side of the road and discovered it was shot.

The 30-year-old had a cut about two inches above her ear, either from broken glass or a bullet fragment, but she declined medical treatment.

The third trucker, of Loudon, Tenn., was traveling east near the same mile marker when he heard an object strike the door of his truck. The 39-year-old pulled over and discovered a bullet hole in his door.

A search of the overpasses Tuesday night yielded some evidence for officers.

At the overpass along Sunny Plains Road, which has no access to the interstate, deputies found 10 shell casings from a .22-caliber weapon.

Summers believes that makes it the shooter's location. The casings will be checked for fingerprints.

In addition, the Sheriff's Office has a bullet fragment from one of the trucks that was hit. It will be tested by the State Law Enforcement Division to see if it came from a .22-caliber bullet.

"A .22 is a commonly owned weapon. It is an inexpensive weapon," Summers said.

Considering all the factors, including the fact that all the truck drivers come from other states, Summers thinks the shootings were random.

"What I think is they, he or she pulled up and decided to do this," he said.

Anyone with any information that might shed light on the shootings is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 803-874-2741.

T&D City Editor Gene Crider can be reached by e-mail at gcrider@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5570. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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