Two California men are dead after a hit-and-run turned into a shootout — which took place in front of one of the men’s young children — on Saturday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said.
Johnathan McConnell of Corona, 38, and Aaron Harris of Highland, 37, fatally shot each other after McConnell’s motorcycle collided with Harris’s sedan on the 210 Freeway around 8:00 p.m., police said in a news release.
Harris ended up driving after McConnell with his two children, aged two and five, in the backseat.
McConnell continued riding his motorcycle until he got off the freeway and pulled into the parking lot of Joy’s Lounge on Baseline Street in Highland, the sheriff’s office said.
While the biker met with “several people known to him” in front of the bar, Harris stopped his vehicle and began shouting “threats” at McConnell.
“When McConnell approached the vehicle, Harris fired a gun at McConnell, and McConnell returned fire,” police said.
Both shooters were later pronounced dead in the hospital.
Another man at the scene suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to the hand, but everyone else was physically unharmed.
“It could have been so incredibly simple. Unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Mara Rodriguez told KABC.
“We all get angry on the roads sometimes, especially these days — there’s so much traffic out there and so many things going on,” said Rodriguez. “But this is a great example of how things can go so wrong so quickly.”
The tragic events have left two young children fatherless and will undoubtedly cause harm to both men’s families and friends.
Harris’s sister, Crystal, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.
“My brother was silly but also a great father, family man and always willing to be of help if needed,” Crystal wrote, calling the July 27 shooting a “very traumatic incident.”
“This incident has left our family hurt and saddened by his loss,” the heartbroken sister added.
A recent data analysis from Forbes reveals that California is one of the worst states for road rage, finding that it has the “most confrontational drivers” and ranks third in terms of being cut off by other people, fourth in insults, and seventh in tailgating.
