Shooting wounds 2, closes eastbound I-80 for hours in Richmond

A shooting Thursday afternoon on Interstate 80 in Richmond seriously injured two people and shut down all eastbound lanes of the freeway at San Pablo Avenue for hours, backing up cars for miles as traffic slowed to an extended gridlock throughout the afternoon commute.

The shooting was reported at 3:39 p.m. and closed the eastbound portion of the busy freeway just before the evening commute, said Officer Sean Wilkenfeld, a California Highway Patrol spokesman. About 9:45 p.m., the CHP said the freeway was reopened.

Police investigate as a van (R) with shattered glass and bullet holes (L) is seen alongside another vehicle (L) on eastbound Interstate 80 after unknown assailants shot at a driver and passenger in Richmond, California on March 09, 2017. The victims are currently in critical condition and the suspects are still at large. less Police investigate as a van (R) with shattered glass and bullet holes (L) is seen alongside another vehicle (L) on eastbound Interstate 80 after unknown assailants shot at a driver and passenger in Richmond, ... more Photo: JOSH EDELSON, JOSH EDELSON / SAN FRANCISCO CHR Photo: JOSH EDELSON, JOSH EDELSON / SAN FRANCISCO CHR Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Shooting wounds 2, closes eastbound I-80 for hours in Richmond 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

A man and a woman in a Honda minivan, believed to have been targeted, were shot, leaving the man with critical injuries and the woman with serious injuries, police said.

The man, who was the driver, was rushed to a hospital trauma center in a helicopter that landed on the freeway. The woman was taken to a hospital in an ambulance, police said.

Shortly after the shooting, at 4:12 p.m., Richmond police stopped a silver Dodge Charger at 17th Street and Chanslor Avenue that matched the description of the vehicle seen fleeing the freeway incident, officials said. Officers detained three occupants in the car.

All eastbound lanes were closed as investigators combed for shell casings and other evidence along a long stretch of the freeway, he said.

As the freeway remained closed, with traffic mounting behind the crime scene, investigators searched two vehicles stopped side by side on the highway: the targeted silver minivan and a red station wagon.

The driver of the station wagon had stopped to try to help, police said.

Thursday’s freeway shooting was one of many in recent months in the East Bay. Arrests are few and far between in many of the shootings, which police say are usually carried out by gang-related groups that follow their targets out onto the freeway, where there are usually no cameras.

In early January, a car came under fire on westbound I-80 near Carlson Boulevard in Richmond. No injuries were reported.

Later that day, a man was hospitalized in Concord after he was shot on Highway 242 north of Solano Way.

Michael Bodley and Kimberly Veklerov are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com and kveklerov@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley and @kveklerov