Yue Jiang, 19, killed in Road-Rage Shooting
It was only a few weeks ago that we posted a quirky and funny Facebook post highlighting all the pet peeves and habits one may develop driving along Phoenix drivers…
One of them included road rage.
Unfortunately, road rage on the Arizona roads may be more serious than an exaggerated joke.
Yesterday, one 32 year-old Holly Davis was arrested and later convicted of the fatal road rage shooting of a 19 year-old Arizona State University student.
The incident happened at Broadway Road and McClintock Drive at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Davis had left that day wanting to be shot by police and had even left a note behind indicating that she was planning on committing a violent act.
Davis was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and a host of other crimes following the Saturday fender-bender in Tempe that escalated into a homicide.
Davis crashed into a vehicle, then got out of her car and fired at the car she had hit, police said, killing the driver, Yue Jiang, an exchange student from China.
According to booking documents, Tempe police found a note in the Mesa apartment where Davis had been living for the past week that was “consistent with defendant planning to engage in violence.”
Jiang was driving west on Broadway Road, waiting at a red light to turn left onto McClintock, police said, when Davis rear-ended her. That crash was minor with no injuries, said Officer Naomi Galbraith, a Tempe Police spokesperson.
However, Jiang’s passenger got out of the car to inspect the damage, Galbraith said.
He saw Davis holding a gun and got back into the vehicle but just as the passenger entered the car, Davis then left her’s, made her way up to the door of Jiang’s car and fired.
It is not clear if Jiang tried to drive away upon seeing Davis, Galbraith said. But after being shot, Jiang passed out. Her car veered out of control into the intersection and struck an oncoming car.
Jiang’s passenger and five other people in the oncoming car, including three children and a pregnant woman, were treated for injuries from that crash. All were hospitalized as a precautionary measure.
Davis fled the tragic scene, heading south on McClintock in a silver Volkswagen Passat, Galbraith said. Lucky, a witness was able to follow her close enough to get a license plate. Police used that to track her to the Mesa apartment.
According to police reports, Davis hid her vehicle and her weapon before returning home to Mesa. She showered and washed her clothes. When police located Davis, she denied involvement and admitted to using Oxycodone, the police report said.
Tempe police arrested Davis on suspicion of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly contact with a deadly weapon and prohibited possession.
Davis was previously convicted for resisting a lawful stop and fleeing in Missouri, according to arrest reports. She was sentenced to three years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
ASU spokesman Jerry Gonzalez said in a statement that counseling is available for students affected by the Jiang’s death.
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