New Haven Man Charged In Windsor Road Rage Shooting: Police: UPDATE

WINDSOR/HARTFORD/NEW HAVEN, CT — A New Haven man has been accused of shooting a man on Interstate 91 in Windsor late Tuesday afternoon in an apparent road rage incident.

Connecticut State Police Wednesday morning said Amir Wali, 23, of New Haven, was charged with first-degree assault; criminal possession of a firearm; possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle; carrying a pistol without a permit; reckless endangerment; reckless driving; disobeying the signal of an officer; evading responsibility of a motor vehicle accident; operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license; and throwing objects at a motor vehicle.

Wali is being held on a $250,000 bond, and he was scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on March 26.

The frightening incident happened at about 4:41 p.m. Tuesday evening in Windsor, when state police at Troop H in Hartford were called about a road rage incident and shooting on Interstate 91 South.

According to police, the male victim said they were traveling on I-91 South in the HOV lane when a "Honda Pilot was tailgating them for a long period of time."

Near Exit 35 in Windsor, police said the operator of the Honda then drove next to the driver's side of the victim's vehicle and threw an object out the window at the vehicle.

Then, according to police, the Honda Pilot drove into the side of the victim's vehicle in a "sideswipe manner collision."

State police then said the suspect driving the Honda Pilot pulled out a gun and began shooting at the passenger side window of the victim's vehicle.

Police said he fired four rounds, with one hitting the victim.

According to police, the victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the left arm and was later taken to the hospital for treatment.

Dispatchers then received word that the Honda Pilot had fled the scene and was last seen traveling south on I-91.

Police said a sergeant at Troop H happened to be in the area at the time and saw the fleeing Honda Pilot, and he tried to pull over the Honda.

But the Honda failed to stop, and he engaged police in a "brief pursuit" before exiting I-91 at Leibert Road in Hartford, police said.

The suspect's vehicle eventually came to a stop in a commercial parking lot on Weston Street in Hartford, where two people were taken into police custody.

Wali is believed to have been the operator and the suspected shooter, according to police.

Police said the second individual was released from custody and not charged in connection with the incident.

According to state police, I-91 was closed for about three hours during the investigation by the Central District Major Crimes Squad.

For the full report from Connecticut State Police, click on this link.