Roadway violence up in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Roadway shootings are a rising concern, not only here in Middle Tennessee, but also across the country.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, 26-year-old Stephen Rouse III was shot and killed in an Uber taking him from North Nashville to Madison, according to police. The driver told investigators they were followed by a white Nissan Maxima when Rouse was shot in the back seat.
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“Road rage has gone up every year, starting in 2018, and this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing and road rage in Tennessee is also going up,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, senior director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Through October of this year, 29 people were shot and killed or wounded in road rage incidents, and that’s the highest number since 2019 when we started looking at this data.”
Everytown for Gun Safety ranks Tennessee as one of the Top 5 states for road rage shootings, coming in at No. 4. They believe the solution is a mix of stricter gun laws on securing weapons and personal responsibility.
“If they take their gun out of their home into their car, locking it up in a way that no one can see it, and what that does is not only make it harder when somebody cuts you off and you’re mad, you’re in a bad mood, take your gun and use it, but it also makes it less likely that gun will be stolen,” Burd-Sharps said.
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Megan Cooper with AAA said these shootings can be triggered by stress, especially with the holidays upon us. To help with this, pay attention to your own driving and avoid cutting others off.
“I think as drivers, we don’t allow others to make mistakes, so a lot of the issues come from people taking it personally, and then those unfortunately can escalate,” Cooper said.
Cooper also highlighted the importance of calling law enforcement when you see aggressive driving, especially in case that driver is involved in a road rage incident.
“I think in a lot of cases people feel kind of anonymous when they’re behind the wheel, so they will sometimes behave in a way that they wouldn’t normally in their normal lives. I think a lot of people don’t think to report aggressive driving behaviors,” Cooper said. “And I’ll also add to try not to fix the situation yourself.”
CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee
Metro police said so far, they don’t have any suspects in either of the weekend roadway shootings. They do, however, believe the suspect who shot at the Uber is someone who knew the victim.
If anyone has information on either shooting, they’re asked to call Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
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