Road Rage Possible In North Port Intersection Shooting

NORTH PORT, FL — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Friday morning shooting that occurred in the intersection of U.S. 41 and River Road in North Port.

According to the agency, deputies were notified of a shooting in the northbound left-turn lane of River Road around 7:14 a.m. Jan. 6. When they arrived, they found one person suffering from a gunshot wound.

“All involved parties have been accounted for and detectives are confident this is an isolated incident posing no threat to the public,” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

The person who was shot was taken to a local hospital. He was in stable condition Friday afternoon, the agency reported.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a Dodge pickup truck and Suzuki SUV were both headed north on River Road before the incident occurred, the email said. Both vehicles stopped at the intersection of U.S. 41 with the Suzuki stopped behind the Dodge. At that point, a male passenger from the Suzuki got out and approached the Dodge's driver, the sheriff's office said.

That man, a Friday afternoon email from the agency said, began assaulting the driver of the Dodge. The truck's driver, however, had a gun "and proceeded to shoot the aggressor."

"Several independent witnesses corroborated the story and are continuing to provide valuable information to detectives," the email added. "At this time, it appears the two men did not know one another and their dispute may have been the result of a road rage incident."

No further information is being released about the shooting at this time, including the names of those involved.

Deputies are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call the Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4915.

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office