BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A man was sent to the hospital with gunshot wounds after what's believed to be a road rage shooting along Interstate 49 Wednesday morning.
According to drivers on I-49, the shooting happened mid-morning just north of Bentonville near the Highway 71 exit on Sept. 20. The boss of the man who was shot told 5NEWS his employee was driving a company vehicle when he was shot multiple times. He's expected to make a full recovery.
Bullet holes can be seen in pictures of the truck he was driving at the time of the shooting.
Arkansas State Police confirmed to 5NEWS that a victim was shot three times, twice in the arm and once in the back. ASP said the shooter isn't in custody, but they believe it was an isolated incident.
David Cowan, Owner of David Cowan Electric said he believed the shooting escalated during a road rage incident and his employee was trying to get out of the way from being hit by the driver who shot at him.
“He was trying to get out of the way of the person who was trying to run him off the road. When he finally got out of the way, they pulled up to the side of the van," said Cowan. "My employee said he felt a little bit of pain and didn't realize he was being shot until glass started hitting his face, and he tried to get off the side of the road and called 911.”
Cowan said the bullet holes were aimed at the driver's side window, "obviously aiming for his head." He said he was in shock that something like this was happening in Northwest Arkansas.
“I'm thinking, what part of the country are we in?" said Cowan. "I think it's very weird because I used to live in Los Angeles, California back in the 80s. I saw this type of atmosphere back then, but I'm from Fayetteville, Arkansas originally. So I literally was so glad to get out of that element and come back here to where it felt safe. And now, all of a sudden, those memories just came flooding back today."
When asked about his employee who was shot, Cowan said “He's a father of two small children ... My heart just went out to him and panicked because I thought if anything happened to this man his poor children would lose their dad. My heart sank. But I was just so relieved that he's good. He's fine. He's just shaken up.”
Robert Bennett, Director of Education at Thompson Driving in Little Rock said at his school they focus on how to deal with road rage incidents.
“Road rage incidences are on the rise, and the level of violence perpetrated against other vehicles is increasing dramatically," said Bennett. “Approximately 92% of American drivers experienced some type of road rage incident last year alone. So it is something that does need to be on driver's radar."
He said if someone is driving too close and acting aggressively, let them pass and don't pull over.
“If it's a tailgating situation, take the soonest opportunity to allow that driver to pass you and get around you," said Bennett"
ASP said more information will be released soon, but for right now, any possible witnesses are asked to call (479) 751-6663.
- Time frame: between 8:32 a.m. and 8:47 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20
- Suspect vehicle: Black newer model Dodge Durango with dark tinted windows
5NEWS will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
