Two men are dead after a road rage incident in Southern California ended in a fatal exchange of gunfire, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
One of the men had his two children, ages 2 and 5, in the car at the time of the shooting.
“It could’ve been so incredibly simple, but unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead,” said Mara Rodriguez, spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, to the media.
Jonathan McConnell, 38, who was riding a motorcycle, was involved in a hit-and-run collision on the 210 Freeway with Aaron Harris, 37, who was driving a sedan, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
McConnell split lanes and collided with Harris’s sedan, which was occupied by Harris and his two children, the sheriff’s department said.
Harris then followed McConnell off the freeway into a parking lot, where McConnell met several acquaintances, the sheriff’s department reported.
Harris stopped his vehicle and shouted threats at McConnell. When McConnell approached the vehicle, Harris fired a gun at him, authorities said.
McConnell then returned fire. Both men succumbed to their injuries, the sheriff’s department stated.
An unnamed adult male at the scene suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to his hand during the incident, the sheriff’s department said.
The children were unharmed in the exchange of gunfire, officials confirmed.
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“We all get angry on the roads sometimes, especially these days with so much traffic and so many things going on,” Rodriguez told media. “But this is a great example of how things can go so wrong so quickly.”
