Phoenix police say a woman was shot while driving in the northbound lanes on State Route 51. The incident took place at approximately 7:20 p.m. between McDowell and Thomas. The victim might have on the phone with a 911 operator at the time of the shooting, police said.

According to the authorities, the woman was traveling from the westbound lanes on Interstate 10 and transferring to the 51 northbound when she called 9-1-1 to report a truck following her that was driving erratically. The victim was identified as 49-year-old Dinya Farmer.

Sgt. Jonathan Howard, a Phoenix police spokesman, said that, "One of those calls was from an adult woman who stated that the truck was actually chasing her. While she was on the phone with 9-1-1, the dispatcher heard about three gunshots and the call was ended.”

“DPS officers and Phoenix officers responded to the scene and located an adult woman who had crashed her car in the center divider along the HOV lane in between McDowell Road and Thomas Road. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and unfortunately has since died from her injuries," he said.

"Officers found four other vehicles that were involved in minor collisions related to the shooting. Two occupants of those vehicles were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries," stated Howard.

Rachel Furphy, of Chandler, was headed to Deer Valley to meet her aunt for dinner when traffic came to a standstill on SR 51. “We got here right as it happened,” Furphy said.

“Some people are pretty mad at the officers, but most people are pretty OK,” Furphy said. “They’re all around the cars right around us right now.”

Gerardo Sanchez was stuck in another vehicle nearby.“The only question they asked was if we had seen a white truck with a ladder driving crazy or driving suspiciously.” “We didn’t see anything, obviously, it had already happened,”  Sanchez said.

Also Read: Phoenix man shot during card game!

Nandini