5-year-old and 14-year-old shot in road rage fight between two men, Florida police say
.jpg "Two children riding in separate cars were shot by drivers that were shooting at each other, a Florida sheriff’s office said.")
A 5-year-old and a 14-year-old riding in separate vehicles were struck by bullets when the two drivers started shooting, according to a Florida sheriff.
The two vehicles, a Dodge Ram pickup truck and a Nissan Murano, were driving erratically on U.S. Highway 1 traveling north from Jacksonville into Nassau County at around 6 p.m. on Oct. 8, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said during a news conference.
A witness told authorities that the two vehicles were driving aggressively, playing a game of “cat and mouse” and “brake-checking” each other, he said. Brake-checking is when one driver maneuvers in front of another and slams on his or her brakes.
The driver of the Dodge Ram, William Hale, 36, drove alongside the Nissan Murano and began shouting at that driver, Frank Allison, 43, Leeper said.
A passenger riding in the Nissan Murano “flipped off” Hale, Leeper said. A plastic water bottle was then thrown from the Dodge Ram into the Nissan Murano through an open window.
Allison then grabbed a gun and fired one shot at the Dodge Ram before driving away, Leeper said.
Hale didn’t notice anyone had been shot until his passengers started “freaking out,” Leeper said. He then realized that his 5-year-old daughter, who was riding in the back seat, had been struck.
Hale then sped up to get closer to the Nissan Murano and started firing his own gun into the vehicle, emptying the clip, Leeper said.
Three bullets struck the Nissan Murano, and one pierced the rear of the vehicle, hitting a 14-year-old girl in the back and causing her lung to collapse, Leeper said.
Shortly after, the drivers pulled their vehicles over and started arguing. A responding sheriff’s deputy had to break up the argument, Leeper said.
Both of the children were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
“There could’ve been two dead kids because of two stupid grown men,” Leeper said.
Both Hale and Allison are each facing one count of attempted murder, he said.
Leeper warned people on the road not to engage with drivers that are driving aggressively.
“Let them go. Slow down. Go the other direction,” he said. “Get the vehicle description if you can, and call the police. Don’t show them how stupid they are by doing something stupid yourself ... because this is what can happen.”
Aggressive driving is the operation of a vehicle in a manner that “endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Sixty-six percent of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving, according to safemotorist.com
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 5:24 PM with the headline "5-year-old and 14-year-old shot in road rage fight between two men, Florida police say."