Road Rage Leads To 1 Man's Death, Another Arrested In Polk County

POLK COUNTY, FL — A fight over one vehicle cutting off another has left one man dead and another facing prison.

After being shot during a road rage fight Sunday at 2:16 a.m., 58-year-old Altamonte Springs truck driver Kevin Berry was removed from life support on Tuesday at 6:25 p.m. and pronounced dead.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced that detectives have arrested a man they believe is responsible for Berry's death.

Daniel Hamilton from Davenport is also a 58-year-old truck driver.

"It's a horrible event," said Judd, holding up photos of Berry and Hamilton. "This is the ugly end to road rage. This man is dead and this man is locked up in jail for second-degree murder because of road rage."

Judd said detectives aren't sure when the argument began. Berry was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck and Hamilton was driving a silver four-door car east on Interstate 4 when they both exited the highway using the off-ramp to U.S. 27.

Berry was on his way to work at a trucking business on U.S. 27 and Hamilton was headed south to his home in Davenport.

"We don't know if the road rage started on the interstate or the ramp, but we know it ended with Berry being shot on the ramp," said Judd.

A witness said the two men had stopped their vehicles on the exit ramp and were yelling at one another, forcing the witness to drive around them. At least three other drivers also passed the two men fighting on the exit ramp.

When deputies arrived, Berry was found lying by the driver's side of his truck after being shot multiple times. He was taken to the hospital where he was placed on life support and given a grim prognosis, said Judd.

Meanwhile, sheriff's detectives obtained videos from red light cameras and businesses with security cameras.

In one video, detectives could hear the men yelling at one another followed by the sound of three gunshots, said Judd.

Lead Detective Angel Shireman traced the second vehicle to 1134 Westwind Drive in Davenport and knocked on the door. Hamilton answered the door and, when questioned, initially denied being out on the road at the time of the shooting, Judd said.

"He said he was at home the whole time and didn't know what they were talking about," said Judd.

Then Shireman produced a photo showing Hamilton's vehicle driving on U.S. 27 stamped with a time code around the time of the shooting.

The sheriff's office obtained a search warrant for Hamilton's home and found a gun beneath the pillow on his bed with three empty chambers. Detectives found the spent chambers in a trash can.

Related: 2nd Driver Sought In Road Rage Shooting By Polk Sheriff's Office

Judd said the shots had been fired at Berry through the passenger-side window, striking Berry who was standing next to the driver's side door.

"It would be very difficult to claim self-defense when the guy who was mortally injured was on the other side of the vehicle and had no weapon," said Judd, adding that this tragedy should be a tale of caution for all drivers.

"Kevin's family said he wasn't one to back down from a fight," said Judd, blaming the crime on the inability of the two men to walk away.

"No good outcome occurs from road rage," he said. "So, just take a deep breath and back away. There's plenty of road for everybody at 2 o'clock in the morning on Interstate 4."

He said the only positive outcome is that Berry was an organ donor, and his organs were used to save the lives of others.

He said detectives would still like to speak to the drivers of the three other vehicles who drove around Berry and Hamilton while they were yelling at one another on the off-ramp.

Those witnesses should contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 863-298-6200 and reference case number 23-42221.