Shelton Man Charged in West Haven I-95 Road-Rage Shooting

Connecticut State Police badge

WEST HAVEN, CT — A 57-year-old Shelton man turned himself in to state police Tuesday, Oct. 6, on a warrant charging him in an Aug. 1 road-rage encounter on Interstate 95 in West Haven, where another driver said they heard gunfire as they tried to get away, the CT Post reported. Court records show he was released on a $20,000 bond and is due Nov. 17 in state Superior Court in Milford, according to the CT Post.

What the other driver told troopers

The complaint came in around 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 from a driver heading south on I-95 in West Haven, state police said. That driver told troopers a dark-gray vehicle had been weaving behind them, then passed on the right while its driver made an obscene hand gesture. The car kept driving erratically, and its driver held up what looked like a gun, the complainant said. Speeding up to get clear, the complainant heard what sounded like shots, according to the CT Post and NBC Connecticut.

The other car left the highway at Exit 39B, and the driver who called police got off at Exit 39A in Milford, police said. The complainant's car was damaged on the rear passenger side. No one was hurt, News 12 Connecticut reported.

How investigators found him

Troopers worked from the description of the car, which turned out to be registered to a business, and that led them to the Shelton man, police said. He first denied any road-rage encounter, then told investigators someone in the other car had flashed an obscene gesture at him, police said. He also denied at first that he had a gun, but later acknowledged owning a chrome-plated handgun like the one the other driver described, NBC Connecticut reported.

He faces six charges, state police said: three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree breach of peace, and two gun charges, illegal discharge of a firearm and discharge of a firearm on a public highway.


Got a tip? Reach out to us at tips@thequinnipiacpost.com.

Never miss West Haven news

Free local news delivered to your inbox — no spam, unsubscribe anytime.