WASHINGTON — The wife and son of the man shot and killed Thursday on northbound Interstate 295 say they have no idea why he was targeted.
Pedro Melendez Alvarado, of Alexandria, Virginia was killed after gunshots shattered the window of his black SUV on I-295 in D.C. near the Naval Research Laboratory exit, before 9 a.m.
“He didn’t have enemies,” Alvarado’s wife Maria Rodriguez told NBC 4
Rodriguez says her husband and her brother were driving to work at the time of the shooting.
Rodriguez told NBC 4 her brother was shot near the ear.
With her 11-year-old son translating, Rodriguez said her husband “was always happy,” and “was an excellent person.”
D.C. police now believe Alvarado’s car was targeted by a dark-colored car, although initially they suspected the motive was road rage.
“There was another car that was following this SUV out in Virginia, even before they entered the District,” said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, Thursday afternoon.
The 50-year-old Alvarado moved to the U.S. from El Salvador 15 years ago, according to his wife.
He leaves behind six children.
Watch NBC 4’s report:
