1 dead after shooting on Bay Bridge; CHP searching for vehicle

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- At least one man has died, another is wounded, and a third suffered other injuries after a shooting and crash on the Bay Bridge.

The investigation closed all eastbound lanes on the bridge for about four hours early Monday morning. Three of the lanes were reopened around 6:30 a.m., and the remaining lanes reopened around 7:45 a.m. Traffic continued to be backed up for miles through San Francisco.

The CHP says just before 2:30 a.m. someone in a vehicle opened fire at an SUV. The SUV crashed into a third vehicle just west of Treasure Island. The vehicle where the shots came from got away.

Raul Lopez was on the Bay Bridge, heading home from work when he heard five shots.

"Once I heard the five 'pops,' the guy in the SUV just hits me," Lopez described. "He turns around, we both turn around, and I'm lucky the other cars didn't hit me or hit him."

Lopez told ABC7 News that after the crash, he went to check on passengers inside the SUV. Only then did he realize the severity of the situation.

"When everything stops, I just get off and try to see if they were ok," Lopez said. "And the driver was dead."

CHP officer Pedro Santiago said because traffic flows in one direction on either deck of the Bay Bridge, there was some challenge in the early morning investigation.

"Eastbound is pretty much just one-way leaving the city," Officer Santiago said. "And for us to secure the scene, we had to block all lanes."

Countless drivers spent more than four hours, deadlocked on the lower deck.

Passengers who didn't have the patience gave up and walked back into the city. Niraj Signh was one of the people. He told ABC7 News he missed his flight out of Oakland. Signh said it was his first day of work, and he was abiding by the common practice to arrive two-hour early.

"My flight was at 6:10 a.m., and I left home at 4 a.m. with the ETA saying you'll be there in 20 minutes," he said.

However, drivers simply didn't have a choice.

"I'm going back to my flower shop, but I'm going to be behind and that's ok," Jean Lee said. "I just feel sorry for the people who passed away, who got shot."

The SUV driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.

The CHP says they're looking for a silver or gray sedan or small SUV, in connection to the shooting. Officers were able to obtain images from nearby cameras of the vehicle.

Click here for drive times and traffic maps.