Defendant in I-76 killing testifies he opened fire after Akron driver pursued him

Dacarrei Kinard testified Tuesday he acted in self-defense when he fired eight bullets into a blue Mazda, striking and killing 40-year-old George Jensen last May in a road rage incident along Interstate 76 East in Norton.

Kinard, 31, described how Jensen cut him off, brake-checked him multiple times and attempted to force him off the highway before pointing a black object at him.

Opening arguments: 'The driver was slumped': Witness recalls shooting in deadly I-76 road rage incident

"I thought he was going to shoot me," Kinard said on the third day of his jury trial in Summit County Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Michael's courtroom. That's when he pulled a gun on Jensen and opened fire.

Kinard is charged with two counts of murder, one count of felonious assault and multiple firearm and drive-by shooting specifications that could result in additional prison time. An improperly handling firearms charge was dropped.

Jurors will begin deliberations Wednesday.

Recalling the drive toward Youngstown

Hours before the shooting, Kinard said he left Columbus for Youngstown to attend his nephew's sixth birthday party. On the way, he stopped at a Mansfield music store to pick up a clarinet for his teenage daughter before continuing north and west.

He said he drove with cruise control on at 65 mph for much of the drive. Then, while in the far-left lane, he noticed a blue Mazda weaving in and out of traffic, speeding up and down and flashing its lights.

Trial begins: Trial begins for Columbus man accused of killing George Jensen in I-76 road rage shooting

"He was tailgating me," he said. "It made me mad, so I sped up to about 72 [mph]."

Soon Kinard heard what he described as the noise of rumble strips coming from the shoulder lane to his left. Looking toward the noise, he saw the Mazda speeding by him.

In an attempt to drive away from the Mazda, Kinard said, he switched lanes multiple times — but the Mazda cut him off each time.

Seconds before and after the shooting

Eventually, Kinard moved alongside the Mazda when he merged into the rightmost lane. That's when he saw the Mazda creep into his lane, he recalled.

"I was thinking this guy was trying to harm me, run me off the road," he said.

Boxed in by the Mazda, a white trailer to his front and a vehicle to his rear, Kinard said he swerved into the right shoulder and merged back into the slow lane in front of the trailer.

That's when Kinard said Jensen pointed a black object at him.

"I took cover. I went down. I grabbed my firearm, and when I looked up, he was still pointing whatever he was pointing at me," Kinard said. "I was scared, and I just fired. I didn't want him to hurt me. I'm sorry."

Immediately after shooting eight bullets into the Mazda, he saw the vehicle swerve left, giving him room to speed away. He recalled exiting I-76 before re-entering the westbound lanes, passing the scene and continuing to Columbus.

What happened to the firearm?

Following the shooting, Norton police initiated an investigation and placed Kinard at the scene.

Norton detectives executed a search warrant at a Columbus apartment in search of evidence and recovered the black Camaro. Investigators never did locate the gun or Kinard's cellphone, said Ryan Connell, a detective with the Norton Police Department.

During his testimony, Kinard admitted that he lied in an interview with investigators, telling them he was not in Norton on May 17 and did not own a firearm.

As for the firearm, he admitted to putting it in a gunlock and placing it in a storage unit two days after the incident.

Witnesses recall aggressive driving, shooting

Witnesses who testified Friday observed Jensen's aggressive driving, which included brake-checking, and the black Camaro driving around the white trailer by entering the shoulder lane.

Two of the witnesses heard a popping noise, with one identifying the sound as gunshots.

The driver of the white trailer, Douglas Crocker, said he saw a hand in the Camaro brandish and fire a handgun, striking the blue Mazda.

No witness recalled seeing the blue Mazda attempt to drive him off the road, said Zachary Neumann, assistant Summit County prosecutor.

Jurors to decide on self-defense

In his closing statement, Assistant Prosecutor Greg Peacock told jurors they would decide if Kinard acted in self-defense.

"We could agree that on that day he probably did not set out to kill Mr. Jensen," Peacock said. "He had a loaded gun in his car, and he used it. Instead of de-escalating it, he escalated it."

He argued that Kinard did not use reasonable force in defending himself and there was not a reasonable belief or understanding that his life was in danger.

"Are we living in the mythical Wild West where we can pull out a gun when someone angers them?" Peacock asked.

In her response, Rhonda Kotnik argued that her defendant did use reasonable force and he reasonably believed his life was in danger.

"Mr. Jensen made the choice that day to drive dangerously and aggressively; his target became Dacarrei," Kotnik said.

She said Jensen used his car as a weapon when he brake-checked Kinard and cut him off, nearly leading to an accident.

"He told you over and over he didn't murder anybody," Kotnik told jurors. "He was defending himself from this horrible situation."

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dacarrei Kinard argues self-defense in fatal I-76 road rage shooting