CINCINNATI, Ohio — Authorities in Hamilton County are investigating a deadly shooting that shut down a large portion of Interstate 71 after gunfire erupted Thursday afternoon near Silverton, leaving a 22-year-old man dead.
According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 1:30 p.m. to reports of shots fired along northbound I-71 near Stewart Road between Ridge Avenue and Red Bank Road. Investigators said multiple people were inside a vehicle traveling northbound when gunfire struck the car.
Officials confirmed one passenger was hit during the shooting and rushed to UC Medical Center for emergency treatment. The victim later died from injuries sustained during the incident. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as 22-year-old Robert Lee Rothwell III.
Authorities stated there were two additional people inside the victim’s vehicle at the time of the shooting. Investigators said the suspect vehicle fled the area immediately after the gunfire, and the number of people inside that vehicle remains unknown.
The shooting prompted the closure of northbound Interstate 71 for several hours while deputies, forensic investigators, and crash reconstruction teams processed the scene. Drone footage from local media showed a heavily damaged red vehicle against fencing along the highway shoulder surrounded by emergency vehicles and investigators.
Officials have not yet publicly announced a motive, though online discussions and early speculation suggested the violence may have stemmed from a possible road-rage confrontation. Authorities have not officially confirmed that theory.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office continues actively investigating the fatal interstate shooting and is asking anyone with information, dashcam footage, or eyewitness accounts from the area during the incident to contact investigators.
