Two people were killed in an overnight shooting authorities say stemmed from a road rage incident along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma.
Arapaho resident Jeffrey Powell died at the scene near Hydro after the vehicle he and his wife were traveling in near Hydro was struck by gunfire. A second person, Billie Jean West, was hit by gunfire and pronounced dead at a hospital in Weatherford.
The Oklahoman identified the suspect as Jeremy Hardy of Pasadena, Texas:
[Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica] Brown said the man driving the pickup tried to run a car off of westbound I-40 at mile marker 111, about 8 miles west of El Reno. The man driving the pickup fired at least once and hit the man driving the car. He was able to pull the car over and stop but died at the scene near Hydro at mile marker 93.
Custer County Sheriff Bruce Peoples says the first 911 calls came shortly before midnight referencing a road rage incident in Canadian Count that proceeded west into Caddo County.
“We also received information at that time that one individual near Hydro had been shot and killed as a result of this ongoing road rage situation,” Peoples said. “Weatherford police were investigating and then found another vehicle with a deceased individual near the east side of Weatherford.”
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers attempted to stop the vehicle near Clinton, but the suspect eluded troopers and continued west into Washita County. After a 22-mile pursuit, the suspect turned around before pulling over in Custer County and surrendering to a state trooper.
“The individual was taken into custody, booked into the Custer County jail at this time, pending the investigation, he is charged at this time with drunk driving,” Peoples said.
Multiple vehicles were struck several times by gunfire along the stretch of I-40, and those non-fatality shootings will be investigated by the OHP. The OSBI will handle the homicide investigation into the two deaths.
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