A man suspected in a dozen shootings into cars and homes on and around Interstate 40 was arrested, Raleigh police said early Friday morning.

The latest in the series of shootings, which police said are connected, happened in a neighborhood near I-40 in west Raleigh Thursday morning, where an occupied car was shot into. 

Andrew Graney, 23, was arrested in connection with the shootings. 

What You Need To Know

  • Six cars driving down Interstate 40 have been shot into this week, police said. A seventh car was shot into Thursday morning not far from the interstate

  • Police said there were a dozen shootings into cars and homes between Monday and Thursday

  • Andrew Graney, 23, is facing multiple charges in connection with the shootings

  • One woman was injured in the first reported shooting. She was shot in the leg and is expected to recover, police said

Graney was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and 11 counts of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle or dwelling.

A second person was detained along with Graney but they were released several hours later with no charges, according to police.

At least six cars were shot at or shot into while driving along I-40 earlier this week, according to the Raleigh Police Department. Four homes were also hit with gunfire in the same area Wednesday.

“I am thankful that no one has been seriously injured,” Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“Our collaborative team is working nonstop around the clock, and will continue to do so,” she said. “I’m thankful to the public and grateful for your understanding. These things take time.”

The latest shooting was on Trailwood Drive, near where the shootings happened on the highway. A man was driving when his vehicle was hit on the driver side, police said. The man was not hurt. 

Police launched a massive search in the area near N.C. State University Thursday morning, including a helicopter from the State Highway Patrol.

Graney was later arrested in a neighborhood off of Tryon Road, on Kentford Court. 

(Spectrum News 1/John Stampf)

The timeline

"At approximately 8:53 a.m., we responded to a report of shots fired into a vehicle in the 1400 block of Trailwood Dr.," a police spokesman said Thursday. "This is an active investigation, and it is currently unknown whether this incident is related to previous reports." 

Thursday's shooting put nearby Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School into a "code yellow" lockdown because of the police activity in the area. That lockdown was lifted before the end of the school day. 

N.C. State University also warned students about the police search in the area.

Officers believe a handgun was being used in the shootings, which they called "extremely concerning." 

The first shooting was reported Monday on I-40 near the Chapel Hill Road exit, where police say a woman was shot in the leg. She's expected to be OK. Later that day, police said another vehicle was shot at on the highway, this time near the Buck Jones Road exit. No one was hurt.

Police said four other vehicles were shot at Thursday on I-40, again near the Chapel Hill Road exit. No injuries were reported.

The Chapel Hill Road and Buck Jones Road exits are consecutive exits on I-40 in west Raleigh.

“We recognize that these events are extremely concerning and frightening to those that travel on that stretch of highway, and we are taking these incidents very seriously," Raleigh Police Deputy Chief Rico Boyce said in a press conference Thursday morning. 

According to police, the shootings happened at the following locations:

Nov. 4:

  • I-40 near Cary Towne Boulevard
  • I-40 near Buck Jones Road

Nov. 6:

  • 2400 block of Centennial Ridge Way
  • 3200 block of Shire Lane
  • I-40 near Trinity Road
  • I-40 near Avent Ferry Road
  • I-40 near Cary Towne Boulevard
  • Jones Franklin Road near Capital Center Drive
  • 2000 block of Wolf Tech Ln.  (two shootings reported)

Nov. 7:

  • 1500 block of Trailwood Drive (two shootings reported)

Officers with Highway Patrol, the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the Cary Police Department are helping Raleigh police with the investigation. Multiple police vehicles were set up along I-40 in hopes of pinpointing the person at the center of the vehicle shootings. 

“We’re going to be out there until we find out who was responsible for this incident," Boyce said Thursday.

Police offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. 

Police are asking anyone with a dash cam who traveled along the stretch of I-40 to contact them and urge anyone with information to call the police department at 919-996-3335.