By Greg Knight, News of the North
Road rage is a problem that’s growing nationally, and according to Juneau Police Chief Derek Bos, it’s rearing its head locally.
Bos provided an update to News of the North this week on the tragic shooting that occurred Feb. 3, near the roundabout at Stephen Richards Memorial Drive and Mendenhall Loop Road.
“It’s aggressive driving where two people are angry with each other.” Boss said, “They’re taking it out in they’re driving mannerisms. They get in verbal altercations. And I think it starts with us controlling our emotions. And really, at the end of the day, does it matter to me if somebody cuts me off, will that change me getting home? Will that change me getting to work? we just need to take that five seconds to just cool off and control our own reactions.”
Boss explained the Feb. 3, shooting is still an open case.
” It’s still an active investigation. We’re still putting all the pieces and parts together of what took place,” Bos said. “there was obviously the weapon presented by one individual and the other individual responded in what we perceive to be a self defensive manner, but we’re still investigating that.”
The deceased driver in the shooting incident had a pellet slash BB style rifle in his vehicle, Boss referred to them as “replica firearms” built to look like real guns.
“The officers on scene during the initial response, their belief was that it was a real firearm. “Bos said. “There was no ready indicator, like an orange tip or anything to say that it wasn’t.”
Between 2014 and 2023, road rage shootings increased by more than 400% nationally, according to rankings compiled by Consumer Affairs, Alaska ranks 21st for incidents of road rage in the nation.
