Tractor-trailer driver charged with murder in road-rage death of fellow trucker
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A tractor-trailer driver is charged with shooting a fellow trucker to death in a road rage incident Tuesday that stretched for miles along Interstate 81 in Berkeley County, according to Sheriff Nathan Harmon.
Harold Dexter Rue, 66, of Snellville, Ga., is charged with one count of murder in the death of Reynaldo Gonzalez Mediavilla, 29, of Hialeah, Fla., according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records and a news release from the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department.
The 9:18 a.m. shooting occurred along the northbound lanes at the 23 mile marker, Harmon said, which is near Exit 23 for U.S. 11 in the Marlowe/Falling Waters area.
Rue told police that the driver of the other truck had been cutting him off since he got on the interstate in Virginia after getting fuel, according to the charging document filed against him in Berkeley County Magistrate Court.
Rue said they both pulled to the side of the road and he got out of his truck with a sawed-off shotgun and warned the other driver that he had a gun. He said the other driver took a swing at him and he struck him in the head with the shotgun, the document said.
As the altercation continued, Rue said he fired two shots, striking the other driver in the shoulder. Rue said he took the man's wallet "so I would know who he was," the document said.
Mediavilla was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body was sent to the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy, authorities said.
Earlier: Man charged with shooting at vehicle in road rage incident in Martinsburg
In Hagerstown: Police ID man killed in Saturday night double-shooting in Hagerstown
911 callers had reported hearing two shots and described a shotgun being involved and a man lying on the side of the road. They provided a description of a tractor-trailer leaving the scene, according to the charging document.
Rue said he left the scene because he was concerned about delivering his load to Pennsylvania, according to the document.
Maryland and Pennsylvania authorities were alerted to be on the lookout for the truck, which was stopped by Pennsylvania State Police in the Carlisle, Pa., area, and the driver was taken into custody, authorities said.
Pennsylvania State Police spokeswoman Trooper Megan Ammerman said Rue would have been lodged in the Cumberland County Prison, but she had no further details Wednesday afternoon.
Harmon said Rue would be held in Pennsylvania until he is extradited back to West Virginia to face the murder charge.
Help from a witness
A neighbor near the shooting scene who heard a shot took a picture of the suspect and his truck, which Harmon said was instrumental in helping law enforcement to make the arrest.
"I want to express a huge thank you for the contribution, because had it not been for that it would have delayed finding the suspect," Harmon said. "So that was huge."
The resident initially thought the sound was a blown tire, but fortunately they decided to investigate and gathered information from a safe distance, he said.
"We never advocate for a citizen to get involved and put themselves in harm's way," Harmon said. "This is a perfect example of how we can work together, the community and law enforcement alike, and bring a situation like this to a resolve.
"I greatly appreciate the citizen for doing that."
An investigation of the incident is continuing, he said.
Road rage endangers the traveling public because of its potential to cause a crash or spark violence, Harmon said.
He advises motorists to avoid confrontations on the highway and notify law enforcement if that occurs.
"Slow down, gain distance away and let us deal with it," Harmon said. "We'll take care of the situation."
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Murder charge filed in road-rage shooting in West Virginia
