Cursing, thrown drinks, near-crash lead to Cobb road rage shooting where driver claimed self-defense

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating an alleged case of road rage that led to a shooting on Windy Hill Road near I-75.

According to the arrest warrant, a man was charged with reckless conduct after he allegedly admitted to police that he shot into the back of a minivan.

Kern Shepherd told police he was acting in self-defense when he shot into the minivan after tense moments with another driver.

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According to a police report obtained by Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell, Shepherd told police he had the green light along Windy Hill Road, but was cut off by someone who was blocking the intersection.

The report goes on to say the driver who cut Shepherd off began throwing up his hands, cursing and threw a drink at Shepherd’s car, so Shepherd threw one back.

After that, Shepherd told police the minivan rammed into his car which caused him to jerk because he was avoiding being hit.

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Shepherd told police he hit the median, then pulled his gun out and shot into the back of the minivan. Shepherd called 911 after the incident and told officers he was acting in self-defense.

He was arrested and charged the week after and has bonded out.

Drivers in the area say they witness road rage incidents on a regular basis.

“Most of the time I don’t feel that safe due to people having a lot of road rage,” said Tre Quantavius.

“Pulling out in front of you, cutting you off, shaking their hands in the air,” Sierra Smith told Channel 2 Action News.

“They often get mad, honk the horn, yell,” Ernest Lampkin said.

“Since COVID-19, people have become more and more stressed out and that stress follows them into driving,” said Richard Taylor, owner of Atlanta Anger Management.

Taylor is an anger management therapist and said he works with clients regularly.

“A driver should say hey am I susceptible to aggressive driving if somebody cuts me off, am I going to flip them off? If you are that person you should admit it and say okay how am I going to not do this. The first thing is self-reflection. We have to have self-awareness that we have a problem. A lot of people don’t have that and they aren’t going to get it,” Taylor said.

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