In a 911 call released by police Monday, LaTonya McIver explained to an emergency operator what happened.
CALLER: We were leaving out of Raleigh and we heard a loud bang, like a shotgun or gun. And all of a sudden, my window was cracking in the back.
911: Did you see who was shooting at you?
CALLER: We couldn’t see anything. We’re driving down 40. It's dark.
McIver told ABC11 a bullet pierced her car just before 11 p.m. Friday night as she got on the Durham Freeway from Interstate 40.
McIver said she and her mother heard a bang and felt a boom and knew something wasn't right.
"We heard a popping noise and the glass started to shatter," she said. "We felt the impact and we both looked at each other and said, 'Oh my goodness, we've just been shot at.' I have heard guns; I know it was a gun."
But police aren't so sure. Investigators are taking a closer look at McIver's call for help and her damaged SUV.
"Rocks couldn't give you the same look. But normally, there's a projectile in - or through - from a gunshot," said Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez. "There's nothing at this point to substantiate that it was a shooting, and it tends to scare people."
Since March, there have been at least three shootings on the Durham Freeway. Two drivers died and police arrested one suspect while the other shooting remains unsolved.
And in Raleigh, an unknown shooter took aim at a car on I-540 at Glenwood Avenue in June.
Police say none of those incidents are connected.
"Did we have some incidents that wound up on the highway?"Lopez asked. "But those were targets that could've been anywhere."
Regardless, McIver said she will not be driving on the Durham Freeway anymore and for this to happen, it is just one time too many.
"People need to know, they shot at a soccer mom SUV. People need to know that this is still going on. People need to know that's still happening," she said.
McIver said she didn't feel like the police response was appropriate.
"They were so nonchalant about the situation. No one seemed to think it was a big deal," she said.
Lopez defended his investigator.
"I think at this point, if the officer thought the vehicle had been shot at, it would've been dealt with differently. I don't think there was any indication that it had been shot," he said.
Police say they could know this week whether the incident was a shooting or something else.
Meanwhile, Lopez says drivers on the Durham Freeway are safe.
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