Road Rage Redux: Convicted Killer Shot Dead By Another Driver

BRANDON, FL — Gary Lynn Durham died as he lived. In an ironic twist of fate, the man killed in a Wednesday morning road rage-related shooting had been convicted in a similar crime in 2002.

Durham, 40, was killed after a traffic-related dispute turned violent, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. It was around 6:30 a.m. when Durham and Robert Padgett, 42, pulled over on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Exactly what happened to prompt Durham to stop in the middle the road and get out of his Mazda pickup remains unclear.

What is clear, the sheriff's office said, is that Durham and Padgett argued. As the dispute escalated, Padgett fired at least one round from a handgun. The shot hit and killed Durham, the sheriff's office said.

Padgett, authorities said, called 911 and tried to save the man he just shot. He administered CPR, but the effort failed.

Durham was pronounced dead at the scene.

As detectives began their investigation into the death, they uncovered Durham’s checkered past. The Brandon man had a lengthy history of convictions and incarcerations in the Florida state prison system. His first sentencing came in November 1994 following convictions on such charges as aggravated assault and grand theft. He was also sentenced in 1995 on a string of charges incurred the year prior related to grand theft and trafficking in stolen property, prison records show.

Durham’s most recent conviction involved an October 2001 manslaughter charge related to the death of Tim Gibbs, 48. The two men were involved in a road rage incident, deputies say. Durham threw a punch that resulted in Gibbs' death a few days later. Durham was ultimately charged with manslaughter and convicted. He was sentenced to serve 11 years, eight months and 13 days on Sept. 30, 2002.

Durham was released from prison in September 2012. He avoided further brushes with the law in Hillsborough County until his death on Wednesday, records show.

Durham’s death remains under investigation. Authorities have not charged Padgett in the shooting, saying the case has been turned over to the State Attorney’s Office for review.

As authorities continue to unravel the details that led up to Durham's death, Gibbs’ widow told the Tampa Bay Times she’s glad she no longer has to worry about bumping into him.

“It’s a shame that he didn’t learn his lesson while in jail,” Nancy Gibbs told the Times. “It’s ironic that he died in the same way as my husband.”

Photo of Gary Durham via the Florida Department of Corrections