MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – A man was accused in a road rage incident that led to a shooting in a Middleburg Walmart parking lot, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said.
Officials said on Thursday on around 7 p.m., deputies responded to the Middleburg Walmart parking lot and learned a victim and suspect were involved in a road rage incident while driving on County Road 220.
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CCSO said the victim pulled into the parking lot and the suspect followed behind them. Officials said the man drove around the victim and stopped yards away from them and after a short argument, fired multiple rounds from a handgun that struck the victim’s car.
Investigators said two uninvolved cars were also struck by gunfire, including one with an adult and child, but they were not injured.
The suspect and victim left the parking lot and called to report the incident. The victim was treated for an injury by the Clay Fire Rescue Department.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said it’s extremely fortunate that no one involved in this scenario was hurt. He adds that incidents on the road can escalate quickly.
“Whether you’re right or you’re wrong, at the end of the day, these things can turn deadly,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if [whose] right or wrong, what matters is that you get home safely.”
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office put out a statement following the incident that reads, in part, “Acts of violence, particularly those occurring on or near the roadways, will not be tolerated in Clay County. Driving is a privilege that comes with the responsibility of remaining calm, composed, and respectful of others to ensure everyone reaches their destination safely.”
Hackney says doing that may require some extra patience.
“If things get to that point and somebody wants over or somebody’s trying to cut in front of you, let them back it off, lay off the horn. Try to be as forgiving as you can be because that’s the kind of thing that turns into these,” Hackney explained.
CCSO said the suspect was arrested and accused of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and shooting a firearm into an occupied conveyance.
The agency adds that if you see reckless or aggressive driving to contact them or submit information via the Safer Watch App.