Father of two dies hours after being shot on I-40 in possible road rage incident, man arrested
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man was arrested and charged in connection with a fatal shooting on I-40 in Wake County on Friday.
The sheriff's office said 32-year-old Josue Alejandro Quintanilla-Reyes was found hours after the shooting that killed 35-year-old Ricardo Baez Cardenas.
Deputies said Reyes was arrested and charged with murder.
The shooting happened around 6:20 a.m. on Interstate 40 East near N. Harrison Avenue. The Raleigh Police Department Watch Commander confirmed it was a car-to-car shooting.
When Wake County deputies arrived, they found a vehicle on the side of the road and the driver inside, who was injured. Deputies say the person was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and was pronounced dead late Friday afternoon.
Cardenas' family tells ABC11 he was a father of two children and was on his way to work when he was shot. They also said that "they want people to be safe on the roads because this could happen to anyone." The family asked for anonymity because the shooter is still out there.
A witness who captured the moments leading up to the shooting tells ABC11 he believed this was an act of road rage.
The Wake County Sheriff's office has not confirmed the motive behind the shooting, however, it is a suspected case of road rage.
The witness said things started around Aviation Parkway when the sedan tried to merge lanes close to a pick-up truck.
At that point, the witness said both drivers started to drive aggressively. This prompted the witness to pull out his phone and record because he thought it would lead to a crash.
That's when he heard gunshots and saw debris and glass shattering.
The witness said he called 911 and followed the sedan, which exited the highway at Cary Town Boulevard before getting back on the interstate going westbound.
Before the victim was identified ABC11 learned the man worked for Wilson & Cofield, based in Morrisville.
In a statement, a spokesperson said they had no further information on the incident but wrote, in part: "Above everything, the safety of our employees is at the forefront of importance for our company. Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee and his family as well as with all those involved in the incident."
Authorities were on the scene for hours collecting evidence, as a portion of the right lane was blocked off until shortly after noon.
Wake County Sheriff released this statement Friday after sharing the news of Cardenas's death: "I want to thank the residents of Wake County for their patience as our deputies and investigators work diligently to identify the person(s) responsible," Sheriff Willie Rowe said. "Our thoughts are with the victim's family during this time, and we are committed to a thorough investigation."
This is an ongoing investigation. If you have any information on this incident, call the Wake County Sheriff's Office or CrimeStoppers.
Drivers Safety Tips
"At first I was like, it's a traffic jam, it's early. people are getting to work. But the more I saw it pile up when I got to the exit, the more traffic. People are actually trying to get out of this for miles," said Christopher Burchfield, who encountered the backup on the way to work this morning.
He's a driving instructor with Drivers of the Future and often discusses road rage and aggressive driving with his students.
"You can pull off the road possibly if they're being really aggressive. You could turn onto a different street to let them go by. Not escalating the situation is the most important thing you can do. Staying calm," Burchfield said.
Data from the Gun Violence Archive analyzed by Everytown for Gun Safety found a sharp rise in the number of road rage shooting deaths and injuries. In 2018, there were 218 victims, a figure that peaked at 542 victims in 2022 before dropping to 483 the following year.
"Is it worth your time? Where are you going? What do you come home to? What could possibly happen from you deciding that being safe stops here," said Burchfield.
