Texas Off-Duty Cop Shoots Woman In Head During Road Rage Incident

And the Whoopsie award goes to:

NEWS

Man accidentally shoots himself during road rage incident

Police still investigating 

Are you really sure guns actually save lives?

It doesn't seem this is actually the best form of self defence, but, hey, collect your Darwin awards sooner rather than later.

Road Rage Incident

Too bad Torres didn't have a gun of his own. That's the pro-gun take on it, right?

Orson Charles, Football Player, Arrested for Road Rage Gun Incident

USA Today

Cincinnati Bengals fullback Orson Charles was arrested in Madison County, Ky., late Monday and charged with wanton endangerment-first degree, according to the jail.

Charles allegedly pulled a gun during a road rage incident.

Wanton endangerment in the first degree in Kentucky is defined as when, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, someone engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another. It is a class D felony.

Charles, 23, will be entering his third year with the Bengals. He's played 31 games in his career with eight starts. The former Georgia tight end was drafted in the fourth round in 2012 but moved to fullback last season when the Bengals drafted tight end Tyler Eifert in the first round.

Prior to being selected out of Georgia, Charles was arrested for a DUI in Athens, Ga., one month before the 2012 draft.

Man shoots self in road-rage incident

You may be your own worst enemy!  Story here.

Anyway:

In many cases, state law allows Florida motorists to carry a loaded handguns in their vehicles which can contribute to the deadliness of the confrontations.

Sounds like piss poor policy choices to arm people especially given the "weapons effect"

Although, it gives me great solace that the facts have such an "anti-gun" bias.

But, I still keep wondering when the term "conservative" gained a meaning of something along the lines of "insane", "idiot", or "irrational" in US English???

If you people are "conservatives" who find "liberal" (the antonym of "conservative") to be an insult--then I am very proud to be a "liberal".

New Zealand Transport Agency's safe driving ad.

Normally, this blog is about gun violence, but I am going to change the dialogue by putting up this ad from the  New Zealand Transport Agency.

It's a good ad and presents something to ponder about not just about things on the road.  A couple of points I make about safe driving.

• Just because you can drive fast doesn't mean that you are a good driver.
• And because you are a good driver doesn't mean the other person isn't an idiot.

Of course, both drivers could have averted the accident. The driver who was speeding should have seen the car at the crossroad and slowed down. The driver at the stop sign could have waited until the other car had passed.

Actually, make that should have waited until the other car had passed.

Was the accident caused because one, or both, of them were in too much of a hurry?

Anyway, there are lessons here which are appropriate to things other than driving.

I leave you with this poem from a Charles Pelkey story about road rage.

Here lies the body of George O'Day.
He died maintaining his right of way.
He was right, dead right as he rode along,
But he is just as dead as if he were wrong.

New Mexico Maniac Gun Owner is Finally Disarmed

Finally this dangerous maniac is disarmed. She's a good example of why we need a one-strike-you're-out policy.  People who misuse guns are almost always repeat offenders. The trick is to disarm them before they do too much damage.

New Hampshire Gun Nut Pulls a Shotgun over a Parking Space Dispute

Link to video

Actually I have a lot of empathy for the raging gun nut in this case. I hate inconsiderate drivers. But, let's face it, this is a guy who needs to lose the guns, am I right?

So much for peaceful Vermont

Nothing like a road rage incident gone overboard to change a peaceful state to a war zone. 

In this case, the chain of events began with a dispute between Matthew Webster and his wife, then escalated after Webster ran a red light and nearly collided with Anna Alger's car. Alger pursued and then confronted Webster, who responded by killing her.

I guess that's what you get if you don't dial 911.

On the other hand, who carries a gun in a civilised society?

Matthew webster did: a Ruger 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and a Keltec .380 pistol, along with three magazines, including the emptied one, and five loose bullets, according to court papers.

Anyway, Webster told investigators that Alger charged "like a six-point buck coming over a hill" and fired a shot at her thinking that would stop her.

He emptied the magazine on her when it didn't.

Anyway, a witness described the incident this way:

I saw the man and the woman standing outside of their cars and they seemed to be arguing. He started toward her and she put her hands up and said something along the lines of 'No, don't.' I had been driving by at this time, and when I went past, I heard a shot.
When I looked back she was on the ground and he had taken off. So extremely scary, especially with my two kids in the car.

Maybe this is the point where we reveal that Webster is being treated for depression and chronic anxiety among "so many other things,"  Not to mention that he has also admitted abusing prescription medication including oxycodone and methadone in the past and Klonopin, a medicine to treat anxiety.   Medical experts say that possible side-effects of Klonopin include mood or behavior changes, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

But, we can't have cops second guessing who should be able to carry a gun, should we?

More here

Forget pictures telling a story--here's the 911 tape...

This 911 call that was released on Friday that captures the panic and hysteria of Teri Pullum, the wife of one of two men who died after shooting each other at an Ionia car wash Wednesday evening following an alleged road rage incident.

New Jersey Police Officer Held on $1M Bail in Alleged Road Rage Shooting

Joseph Walker (inset) has been charged in the shooting death of 36-year-old Joseph Harvey Jr. on a Maryland highway.

Local news reports

A New Jersey police officer is being held on $1 million bail after he was charged with shooting and killing a man on a Maryland highway in an alleged road rage incident.

Forty-year-old Joseph Walker, a sworn officer with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, was charged with second degree murder and manslaughter after a shooting 36-year-old Joseph Harvey, Jr. Saturday on an off-ramp on Interstate 97 near Millersville, according to Maryland State Police.

Police say the off-duty officer reportedly got into an argument with Harvey shortly after 8:30 p.m. while both men were driving on the interstate in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Investigators say both men pulled over on the shoulder of the highway. Harvey got out of his car, along with his passenger, and starting walking towards Walker’s minivan.

Maryland State Police say Walker fired a .45 caliber Glock at Harvey and hit him. Harvey was pronounced dead at Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

Police say the officer’s wife and three children were in his car at the time of the shooting. Walker is being held at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center.

Police are investigating the shooting.

Now wait a minute, I thought someone approaching you in a threatening manner was considered lethal threat.  Does that only count in Florida and other Stand-your-ground states?

Regardless, this is simply another example of a good guy with a gun acting very badly. It's a lot more common than the pro-gun folks would have us believe.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Bradley Turner, North Carolina Lawful Gun Owner, Arrested for Road Rage Incident

Here's the link to the Fox News discussion.

It seems even they find it laughable that Bradley Turner was the victim. But not everybody on The Truth About Guns agrees.  Although Robert named him an Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day (IGOTD), and most of the commenters agreed, which being terribly sycophantic Farago followers is usually the case, you can always count on a few true gun nuts to defend the guy with the gun against all evidence.

This from Blake

I think if someone were to do some internet sleuthing, there might be more videos of kids provoking fights and beating up on someone. 

From Skyler

I disagree that he was not justified in drawing a gun at that point (assuming he didn’t initiate the violence). He can’t guess if the kids are going to try to run him over or come back again. A reasonable person might conclude that he still felt in danger.  

Carry-45

No sense starting a fight armed, good chance that gun will be needed by the end. Better be peaceable and not take a life. Even if its some asshole kids looking for a fight.

foxmuldar

My problem with the video is we don’t know what caused this confrontation in the first place. Did the two guys threathen him first with words? Just because he threw the first punch doesn’t necessarily mean he was the instigator. 

Those guys are more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Am I right?

Chip off the Old Block: NRA President David Keene's Son Arrested for Road Rage Shooting

National Confidential

While the NRA is blaming video games and the media for the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, an incident involving the NRA president’s son may create new controversy.

In 2002, David Michael Keene, the son of NRA president David Keene was arrested for firing a gun at a motorist while driving along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in a road rage incident. He was later convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for “using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.”

In an interview with the New Yorker, the elder Keene said he did not feel his organization’s policy of unrestricted access to guns was counteracted by his son’s own actions.

He was a lawful gun owner with a concealed carry permit, you know the kind that makes us all safer.

Road Rage Cop in California

Local news reports

Following the initial road rage incident, both drivers exited the 71 and stopped inside the Shoppes' parking lot between California Pizza Kitchen and Dripp. 

The off-duty officer reported that the four men exited their vehicle and approached him. The officer said he saw objects in the hands of two of the four men.

The officer reported he armed himself with a gun and fired several shots, striking two of the men. It was unclear if he ever identified himself as an off-duty officer prior to firing.

No one has been arrested, leaving some people puzzled and concerned about the outcome of the incident.

"If it was anyone other than a cop, they would be in jail for at the minimum assault with a deadly weapon," said Phung Li, Chino Hills resident and business owner.

I don't know if I agree with that. Often a civilian gun owner who acts badly is not arrested. But, in this case it certainly could be because he is a cop.

The problem is both LEO and civilian gun owners are too often unfit to safely handle guns.  The only solution I can think of is a stricter enforcing of the laws.  One strike you're out would ensure that these trigger happy guys only get one chance to act out their frustrations. In this case, for example, does anyone believe this was the very first time this cop acted badly?  I don't.

What's your opinion?  Please leave  a comment.

Lawful Florida Gun Owner Shoots Wrong Man in Road Rage Incident

The Florida Times-Journal reports

A pickup driver in Jacksonville was wounded by gunshot Thursday in what police and the man’s father-in-law described as an accidental shooting.

The man’s gun went off when another passenger in the truck grabbed it in a confrontation with another driver, said James Borum, whose son-in-law was taken to Shands Jacksonville hospital.

Let me break it down for you. Two idiots in pickup trucks left the gas station together and and got into some kind of ego contest. Both were raging maniacs who felt the other had a lot of nerve to dare such a challenge. At the light one of the idiot's imbecile friend grabbed a gun intending on using it on the driver of the other pickup, but instead shot his own driver.

These are the kinds of redneck, hillbillies that make Florida the Most Baneful State in the Union.

But, it's not just them.  It's built right into the system down there.

No arrests have been reported by the Sheriff’s Office.

Don't you find it unbelievable that no one is arrested after a scene like that. You know they put other people in danger as well as themselves. And you also know they were lawful gun owners.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Frequent Road Rage Incidents by Lawful Gun Owners

Local news reports

A Kingsport motorist has been arrested for allegedly brandishing a handgun during a fit of road rage — marking the third such incident in as many months on Model City roadways.

Christopher Adam Lipps, 33, of 105 Lone Oak Drive, is charged with aggravated assault in Tuesday’s incident. A Kingsport Police Department report says it occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Moreland Drive.
 
Prior to Tuesday, there had been two road rage related arrests in Kingsport over the past three months, while another occurred just outside the city limits. Two of those previous three incidents allegedly included a motorist waving a handgun.

“Unfortunately we have, as do other cities, occasional complaints of road rage incidents,” said Kingsport Deputy Police Chief David Quillin. “My best advice is to focus on the rules of road and being a responsible driver. Ignore other drivers you may have accidentally cut off in traffic, or for whatever reason may have gotten upset.”

In this one location the authorities have become aware of 4 recent incidents. That means there must have been 40, many of which were done by your "lawful" gun owners.

This is practically an epidemic, when you consider all the other areas and all the other cities in which this kind of behavior is taking place. 

The folks who do this are hidden criminals, guys who on paper are law-abiding, have not sustained any felony convictions, etc., but in reality are irresponsible and dangerous.

The solution is obvious.  Stricter gun control laws, which would make it more difficult for people to qualify for gun ownership.  Many of the bad apples would be weeded out.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment. 

Bad Habit - Offspring

Hey man you know I'm really okay
The gun in my hand will tell you the same
But when I'm in my car
Don't give me no crap
Cause the slightest thing and I just might snap
When I go driving I stay in my lane
But getting cut off makes me insane
I open the glove box
Reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away
Yeah I got a bad habit
And it ain't goin' away Yeah
Well they say the road's a dangerous place
If you flip me off I'm the danfer you'll face
You drive on my ass
Your foot's on the gas
And your next breath is your last
Drivers are rude
Such attitudes
But when I show my piece
Complaints cease
Something's odd
I feel like I'm God
You stupid dumb shit goddamn motherfucker
I open the glove box
Reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride

Arizona Road Rage Incident

AZ Central reports on another lawful gun owner with a sketchy background enjoying his right of Constitutional Carry.

A post-office employee was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault Wednesday after he pointed a gun at a 10-year-old girl during a road-rage incident, according to police reports.

Michael Vigorito, 47, was driving a BMW near Gilbert and McKellips roads in Mesa on Monday night when he got into a confrontation with people in another car, police said. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at three people, one of whom was a 10-year-old girl, police said.

The victims got the license-plate number and identified Vigorito in a photo line-up the next day, according to police.

Vigorito was arrested around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Fountain Hills.

He has previously been arrested on suspicion of harassment, according to police reports.

There are too many unfit and dangerous guys legally going around with guns.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Road Rage in Gun Friendly Arizona

The Tucson Citizen reports

Appleton told police another vehicle had been tailgating him, so he pulled into the drugstore parking lot. He said the vehicle followed him into the parking lot and Pearson exited the car and approached Appleton’s vehicle, police said.

Appleton said Pearson reached through his open car window and tried to choke him. That’s when Appleton took out his revolver and told Pearson to let go. He told police he shot him because he would not.

Appleton was arrested around 1:30 a.m. Friday, after police found inconsistencies in Appleton’s story based on physical evidence and witness accounts, police said.

You see what he did? He tried to claim it was a legitimate DGU, just like a lot of people do in that situation. Sometimes it's just too outlandish for even the gun-loving authorities in Arizona to accept.

What's your opinion? Do the lenient attitudes in Arizona regarding guns contribute to situations like this? Any lawful gun owner can carry a concealed weapon. The problem is too many of these lawful gun owners are unfit, especially in Arizona where the requirements for ownership are minimal.

Wouldn't it be better if people had to be highly trained and thoroughly screened in order to own guns and even more so to carry them outside the home? Wouldn't that prevent some of these incidents?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Bad Habit - Offspring

Drivers are rude

Such attitudes

But when I show my piece

Complaints cease

Something's odd

I feel like I'm god

You stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker!

"I feel like I'm god," don't you just love that one.

For our super-sensitive gun-apologist friends, let me make something clear. I don't think all gun owners act this way. I do, however, know that some of them do. And in my opinion the percentage that does act this way is too high. Just earlier this month we discussed one case, not uncommon in states like Arizona.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.