FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD)- Police in Fort Worth and Hurst say road rage led to shootings in each of their communities overnight. Both cases occurred on freeways.
In Hurst, police say a couple was driving north on 820 between Trinity Boulevard and Highway 10 after 9 p.m. Monday. They say a woman was shot in the head, and her husband who was in the car called 911.
The victim, identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner as Paola Linares, 37, died at JPS. Her husband was not hurt.
"My thoughts are with the family of this victim. I think this is just tragic," says Hurst Assistant Police Chief Billy Keadle.
Police say the other car drove off. They are looking for a small, dark-colored, older model car. Keadle says they would also like to hear from anyone who might have been driving on 820 near Trinity and Highway 10 between 9 and 9:30 last night and might have seen something or records dashboard video.
At about 5:20 a.m. Tuesday, Fort Worth Police say road rage led to another shooting on the frontage road of 35W near Felix. In that case, the victim was shot in the hand and treated at the scene. Police have not made an arrest there, either.
The organization, Everytown for Gun Safety, says road rage shootings injured 413 people and killed 141 others across the country last year.
"I believe the public is extremely concerned about the frequency of these events," Keadle says. "It does seem the numbers are increasing."
Keadle says people can take steps to prevent a case of road rage.
"I think if people were to drive safe and be aware of their surroundings, that can help. They should avoid overreacting and participating in road rage," he says.
Keadle says participating in road rage can include brake-checking someone who is tailgating you, using hand gestures or cutting people off.
"It's those intentional acts that can contribute to an escalation of a road rage incident," he says.
Keadle says if someone starts to drive aggressively after an intentional or unintentional act, you can take steps to "disengage" from the situation. He says people can slow down or even exit the highway to put distance between themselves and a driver who is becoming violent.
"Do whatever you need to do to avoid that person and just separate," he says.
If the other driver keeps following or threatening you, Keadle says you can call 911. He urges you to pass on as much information to the dispatcher about the other car, your location and what is happening as possible.
Related
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news