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Driver opens fire on strangers along major US interstate, tells cops he ‘had to kill people today’
By Brittany Miller
Published October 07, 2026
An Iowa man accused of opening fire on passing vehicles along an interstate and wounding a woman allegedly made a chilling admission to police after his arrest, according to court documents.
Andrew Darrick Tanaka, 27, of West Des Moines, faces four counts of attempted murder in Monday afternoon's shootings along Interstate 35 in Warren County, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
After being taken into custody, Tanaka allegedly told law enforcement, "I had to kill people today," according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed Tuesday in Warren County District Court.
The incident began around 3:31 p.m. Monday when authorities received multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire along the northbound lanes of I-35.
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Andrew Darrick Tanaka, 27, faces four counts of attempted murder after allegedly opening fire on multiple vehicles along Interstate 35 in Iowa Oct. 5, 2026. (Iowa Department of Public Safety)
Tanaka was driving a black Chevrolet Equinox when a woman driving a black BMW passed him on the interstate, according to the affidavit. The BMW then passed a Subaru Outback.
Investigators allege Tanaka caught up to the Subaru and fired at least two rounds through the driver's side window, striking the woman behind the wheel in her left shoulder.
He then allegedly caught up to the BMW and fired another round through its driver's side window.
Tanaka continued north before rear-ending a gray Nissan Altima carrying two people, according to the affidavit.
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Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shootings along Interstate 35 in Iowa. (Stephen M. Katz/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
When the Nissan's occupants stopped to check on him, Tanaka allegedly got out of his vehicle with a handgun and fired at least one round into the car's windshield.
Deputies from the Warren County Sheriff's Office, officers from the West Des Moines Police Department and Iowa State Patrol troopers responded to reports of gunfire near mile marker 56.
Officers found the wounded woman and several vehicles that appeared to have been struck by gunfire. The woman was taken to a hospital with injuries that authorities said did not appear to be life-threatening.
Police later found Tanaka along the interstate after his vehicle became disabled after the collision.
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The Des Moines skyline as seen from the lookout at Two Rivers Park Oct. 9, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Cody Scanlan/The Register/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
He was standing on the shoulder of the highway holding a handgun when officers arrived, according to the affidavit. Tanaka was taken into custody without further incident.
The shootings prompted authorities to shut down the interstate for several hours while investigators processed the scene.
Tanaka was booked into the Warren County Jail on four counts of attempted murder.
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The Warren County Sheriff's Office and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the shootings.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/driver-opens-fire-strangers-major-us-interstate-tells-cops-had-kill-people-today