'The driver was slumped': Witness recalls shooting in deadly I-76 road rage incident

Douglas Crocker of Florida doesn't drive for work very often, but on the afternoon of May 17, 2023, he found himself hundreds of miles from home when a black Camaro swerved in front of him, appearing from the shoulder lane.

Seconds later, he saw the driver aim a handgun through the driver-side window and unload multiple rounds into a nearby blue Mazda, Crocker said.

Arrest: Dacarrei Tovon Kinard, suspect in Norton fatal road rage shooting, arrested in Columbus

"The Mazda was close enough to see the driver was slumped," Crocker said. "It looked like [the Mazda] was in the left lane and hit the median and went right."

Stopping his vehicle, Crocker adjusted his side-view mirror. Minutes later he saw multiple passersby rushing to help Jensen, including one attempting to resuscitate him, he said. George Jensen, 40 of Norton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Crocker was one of four witnesses who testified Friday at Dacarrei Kinard's murder trial in Summit County Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Michael's courtroom.

The 31-year-old Kinard of Columbus is accused of shooting and killing Jensen following a road rage incident last year on Interstate 76 near state Route 21 in Norton. He is charged with two counts of murder, one count of felonious assault and multiple firearm and drive-by shooting specifications that could result in additional prison time. An improperly handling firearms charge was dropped.

Kinard, who is represented by attorneys Nathan Ray and Rhonda Kotnik, is expected to testify next week.

How did the road rage incident play out?

Both Jensen and Kinard engaged in aggressive driving just before the shooting, said Zachary Neumann, an assistant Summit County prosecutor.

Witnesses and Ohio Department of Transportation video showed that Jensen cut Kinard off to prevent him from passing, Neumann said in his opening statement. Jensen brake-checked Kinard at least twice, forcing Kinard to hit his brakes to keep from rear-ending him.

"We are not going to dispute that Mr. Jensen exhibited driving that would make anyone upset," Neumann explained.

Kinard then passed the truck driven by Crocker by entering the shoulder and swerved into the center lane next to Jensen's blue Mazda, he said.

"He pulled out a gun and shot from a moving car approximately eight times," Neumann said. Two of those bullets struck Jensen.

Ray, representing Kinard, said in his opening statement that his client was on his way to Youngstown from Columbus. He wasn't in a hurry. He stopped in Mansfield at a record store along the way.

"It was just another sunny, casual day, so what changes that?" Ray asked the jury in his opening statement. "Mr. Jensen changed that."

Ray argued that Kinard was trying to get away from Jensen as he cut Kinard off and brake-checked him. As the road rage incident progressed, Kinard began to feel fear and anger.

Witnesses recall hearing gunshots

For Stephen Swinehart, the commute home from his Broadview Heights job was like any other until he merged onto I-76 east. That's when he saw a black Camaro swerve into an entrance ramp lane that transitioned into a shoulder lane.

He saw the Camaro pass and merge in front of a pickup truck. That's when he heard a noise he described as a "pop pop," he told prosecutors.

At the same time, another witness, Donald Davis, recalled seeing the blue Mazda brake-check the black Camaro just moments before hearing between eight and a dozen gunshots.

Both Davis and Swinehart said the blue Mazda, driven by Jensen, veered right and hit a concrete wall before swerving left and crashing into the median separating the eastbound and westbound lanes.

How did investigators identify Dacarrei Kinard?

After the black Camaro fled the scene, it left I-76 east and re-entered the highway traveling westbound. Neumann said Kinard's destination was Columbus.

Investigators used eyewitness testimony, ODOT videos and surveillance cameras from businesses to identify the vehicle and Kinard.

One camera captured the license plate, which allowed detectives to see the vehicle was registered to Kinard. A phone number registered with the Camaro matched Kinard's cellphone number, Neumann said.

Pulling data from T-Mobile, investigators tracked the phone with the registered number from Columbus to Norton and back, explained Kevin Starling, a Norton Police Department detective who worked on the case and was a witness in the trial.

The phone connected to each nearby T-Mobile cell tower along the drive, Starling said. "Unless you turn your phone off or disconnect the mobile data feature, your phones are always looking to talk with the nearest tower with the clearest signal," he said.

Investigators also found footage of Kinard with the Camaro at the Mansfield record store before the incident, Neumann said. The vehicle was later found in the Columbus area.

The trial is set to resume Monday morning.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Witnesses recall hearing gunshots in I-76 Norton road rage trial