Road rage: Two charged with attempted murder after shooting into SUV occupied by 3 children
Two Brevard County men have been arrested and charged with attempted murder in the road-rage shooting of an SUV carrying a couple and three young children Saturday, according to a police report provided by the Volusia Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the shooting around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, which occurred in the Mims area along State Road 46.
The victims were traveling east on State Road 46 when a black Dodge pickup towing a boat began tailgating them. According to a statement by the woman driving the SUV, the truck passed, forcing them halfway off the road, and then came to a stop in front of them near 9437 S.R. 46.
The men got out of the truck and fired several shots at the front passenger side of the vehicle, a gold GMC Yukon, striking it several times, according to the report. The woman's boyfriend was in the passenger seat of the SUV and her three children, ages 6, 4, and 18 months, were in the back seat.
Nine bullet holes were found in the SUV, according to the report. A shot shattered the front passenger window but miraculously, there were no injuries. The couple said they ducked below the dashboard in an attempt to keep from getting shot.
Deputies determined that the shots were aimed at the passenger of the GMC and only the engine block kept him from being hit.
After firing the shots, two men got back in their truck and left the scene. The victims called 911 and followed at a distance as the truck headed into Brevard County where Brevard County sheriff’s deputies located it and conducted a traffic stop.
The alleged shooters were identified as Chad Morrow, 45, of Cocoa, the driver, and Chad McAninch, 52, of Port St. John, the passenger. They were taken into custody and each charged with two counts of attempted murder and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Brevard County jail records show both men were in custody Sunday morning without bond.
McAninch claimed the passenger of the SUV, while it was ahead of the truck, was hanging out of the window, yelling and throwing beer bottles and oil cans at the pickup. McAninch denied "owning, possessing, handling or shooting a firearm," according to the report, and said he didn't know how the GMC had "sustained gunshots."
Morrow declined to speak to deputies and asked for a lawyer. Court records show nearly two dozen charges have been filed against Morrow since 2000 in Brevard County, mostly misdemeanor traffic violations. He was found guilty of driving under the influence in 2017 and driving on a sidewalk in 2008.
This story has been updated to include details from the police affidavit.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Shots fired at SUV carrying 3 small children in road rage incident
