Dontrell Thomas-McCraney, 22, of Temple, Texas, was shot and killed in the early hours of April 18, 2025, while traveling eastbound on Interstate 14 near Belton. Police received multiple calls about a vehicle stopped in the middle of the eastbound lanes at mile marker 297, between the Simmons Road and George Wilson Road exits, at about 2:41 a.m. Responding officers found three people inside the vehicle who had sustained gunshot wounds; Thomas-McCraney, the backseat passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 21-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman were taken to Scott & White Medical Center in Temple for treatment.

Authorities say the shots were fired from another vehicle that pulled up alongside McCraney’s car before opening fire. The Belton Police Department has described the attack as an isolated incident and temporarily closed the eastbound lanes of I-14 while investigators worked the scene. No arrests or suspects have been publicly identified and investigators continue to examine the circumstances and motive.

If anyone has information about the shooting or saw vehicles or people near mile marker 297 on I-14 around 2:40 a.m. on April 18, please contact Belton police.