Man accused of shooting at driver trying to prevent last-minute merging

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - An Odessa man is facing felony charges for alleged road rage violence that took place early on Friday.

Jackson County Jail records show 53-year-old Roy L. Anderson, Jr. was booked into jail on May 23. Charges were filed later that afternoon.

According to court records, at 7 a.m. that morning, the Kansas City Police Department was dispatched to eastbound Interstate 70 at E U.S. 40 Highway after a man reported he had been shot at. The victim was standing next to his car when officers arrived, and they noted it had a bullet hole in the front enger door. The spent bullet was later recovered.

The victim told officers he was driving east on I-70 with his front enger window down when he began nearing a construction zone where one of the lanes ended. As he got closer, he said he began driving in a way that would prevent other cars from ing at the last minute and forcibly merging.

Once he was close enough that he needed to get into the lane that was staying open, however, the victim claimed he was hit in the arm with a soda can and looked over to see a car driving next to him. He said the other driver, later identified as Anderson, seemed to be yelling, but the victim couldn’t hear him over his radio.

Documents state that the victim threw the can back at Anderson and yelled, “What the f---.” As he did so, the victim told officers that Anderson leaned back in his seat and fired a shot from a handgun at him.

The police statement filed with the charges did not specify where on the highway this happened, but construction has the left lane closed east of downtown, with a merge sign at 23rd Street and the lane closed at 27th Street.

Anderson stayed on the scene as well and flagged down the KD officers to give his of what happened.

As they approached, he reportedly presented his handgun with the barrel in his hands and the stock pointed out for the officers to take. He said he thought he heard a gunshot, so he fired his gun in the air. He claimed he hadn’t seen the victim holding a gun, but then said “the other guy definitely had a gun.”

Anderson was arrested, and his Lexus EX350 was towed from the scene. A search warrant was executed on the car, and investigators reported finding a spent shell casing under the driver’s seat.

He is now facing four felony charges, including first-degree or attempted assault, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. Jail records show he posted bond on Saturday and is no longer in custody.

PREVIOUS ROAD RAGE VIOLENCE

It is the second time in less than a week that KCTV5 has reported on shots fired on an interstate in the metro that appeared to be the result of road rage.

“These incidents are on a rise,” said Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) l. Justin Howard. “It’s important for us to be aware of those so that we can adjust our driving behaviors appropriately to ensure that we’re not involved in these types of incidents.”

The Kansas City Police Department is investigating Friday’s incident. The Highway Patrol is investigating another incident that occurred on May 18 on I-29 in North Kansas City. In that case, the victim told KCTV5 someone fired into his car with his child inside after brake-checking him. An MSHP investigator told KCTV5 the agency received multiple calls that Sunday starting at 4:43 p.m. describing a similar situation.

On I-29 alone, KCTV5 has reported on three other times a gun was fired in which investigators suspected road rage.

In April, three men were shot on I-29 by North Oak Trafficway and survived.

In March, a car was shot at on I-29 near Vivion Road.

In January, I-29 near Northwest 72nd Street.

ADVICE: BE COURTEOUS AND CALM

Howard’s advice on the road is simple: be courteous, stay calm, and create distance if you sense aggression, even take an exit if needed. Don’t feed aggression by responding in kind.

“You never know who you’re going to confront,” Howard said. “You never know if that person that you’re now irritated with has a gun, and that could now present a very violent situation.”

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