Road Rage Turned Deadly on SR-167, One Person Hit by Gunfire

A traffic situation turned into a shooting last night (Thursday), according to the Washington State Patrol, on the southbound SR-167 off-ramp to 180th Street.

A driver in a Volkswagen allegedly fired a gun at the driver of a Dodge Ram while the vehicles were on the off-ramp.

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Trooper Rick Johnson reported the shooting around 5:51 pm., saying the suspect was already in custody and the victim had been taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

SR-167 Shooting Victim's Injury Was Not Life-Threatening

After the initial post, the Washington State Patrol released an update with a little more information about what happened.

The victim was shot in the shoulder, but police say the injury was not life-threatening.

Trooper Johnson said the suspected shooter was taken into custody immediately, but said they still had to determine exactly what led to the shooting. They did not know what happened between the two drivers before the gun was fired.

It's unclear from the initial information whether the drivers knew each other or what may have triggered the confrontation.

This is Just Another Reminder About Washington State Road Rage

This is another frightening reminder that an argument or confrontation between drivers can escalate in seconds to a life-threatening situation.

A disagreement on the road is not worth following someone or confronting them because that likely would just make the situation worse. If another driver is behaving aggressively, the safest move is generally to create some distance, avoid engaging, and call 911 if they are following you.

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In this case, the incident ended with one person going to the hospital and another person in police custody, but it could have been much worse.