CLAYTON, N.C. (WNCN) — Newly-released emergency call recordings capture the frantic moments when a Johnston County road rage shooting victim and a Good Samaritan phoned 911 amid a 100 mph chase and wild Wake County crash.
The shooting happened in Johnston County at the busy intersection of N.C. 50 North and N.C. 42 (Veterans Parkway) on Friday afternoon.
The shooting led to a chase by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office into Wake County that ended in a three-vehicle crash — and suspect Murad Taylor, 38, of Garner, was in custody.
CBS 17 is not releasing the names of the road rage survivor or an eyewitness in order to protect their privacy.
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The road rage survivor described to the 911 operator what happened to her and her car.
“I was leaving my hotel and this man followed me. When we’re at the stoplight he shot at my car. (Sobbing) He also left a bullet in my car. In my door. After he shot my car at the stoplight, he took off.”
“He had the gun like this,” the eyewitness gestured with his arms to demonstrate to CBS 17 how a shotgun was pointed at a car.
And as he followed the suspect’s car, here’s what the witness also told a 911 operator: “Light’s red. Afraid to get too close. I’m afraid he’s gonna come back here and shoot at me. He shot at another vehicle at the stoplight at 50 and 42 with a shotgun.”
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Still, this driver stayed on the shooter‘s trail.
“I didn’t know what he would do. But I just I didn’t feel like he should get away with what he had done, and I felt like I was the only person that saw what happened. So, I wanted to give the authorities whatever information I could,” the witness told CBS 17.
At about that time, deputies spotted the suspect who took them on a high-speed chase west along Interstate-40 into Wake County — it all came to a crashing end at Jones Sausage Road with three vehicles slamming into one another, including the road rage suspect’s car.
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Deputies said the suspect, driving a Nissan Rogue, and the driver of a crashed Cadillac both suffered minor injuries.
Taylor had his first court appearance on Monday.
A Johnston County judge set bond at $75,000, requested by the District Attorney’s office.
Before that, a magistrate had hit Taylor with a $1 million bond on Friday as he was booked into jail.
And according to D.A. Jason Waller, the magistrate also voided that amount before prosecutors went to court.
“And that’s good, he needs to be locked up,” the witness said.
