“During a simple traffic situation, this defendant became so enraged and angry that he shot and killed another driver simply due to his road rage,” Heck said. “This is completely unacceptable. We simply cannot tolerate just reprehensible behavior.”
Around 2 p.m. on Sept. 3, Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies responded to Webster Street and Needmore Road on a report of a shooting between two vehicles. When they arrived they found Gary Bailey, 22, shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Heck condemned the shooting, calling it senseless and a tragedy.
“It’s all avoidable,” he said. “It should not have happened.”
The prosecutor also extended his sympathies to Bailey’s friends and families.
Heck said surveillance footage and a number of eyewitness statements assisted in the investigation of the shooting.
Sutton was driving a Ford Taurus on Needmore Road and reportedly going at a slower speed when he began “brake-checking” the vehicle behind him, Heck said. At one point, the Taurus and the other vehicle, a Chrysler, were next to each other and a person in the Chrysler threw a water bottle at the Taurus, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sutton then allegedly pulled out a firearm and shot a single round into the Chrysler while they were both stopped at a traffic light. Bailey was struck and died.
Sutton then drove to his mother’s residence in Riverside and she took him to a Red Roof Inn in Fairborn, Heck said. The prosecutor’s office is looking at potential charges against the man’s mother, Heck said.
Sutton was arrested in Fairborn and booked into the Montgomery County Jail on Sept. 4. His bond was set at $1 million. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday.
Heck said the case is a prime example of why drivers need to be aware and stay patient.
He noted both vehicles had passengers and said road rage puts more than just the drivers at risk.
“Stay calm behind the wheel and avoid engaging with anyone else in any type of road rage,” Heck said. “Your safety and the safety of those that may be with you are paramount.”
Law enforcement agencies like the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office have reported an increase in confrontational or aggressive driving on area roadways.
Montgomery and Warren counties led the state in road rage incidents this year, while Butler County ranked fifth, according to state patrol data.
In July, Montgomery County had 63 road rage incidents since the beginning of the year, while neighboring Warren County had 62. Those tallies are far higher than any other Ohio county, according to data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“All you have to do is drive down one of our major arteries,” said Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck following the arrest of Sutton. “And you see people totally disregarding traffic safety signs, red lights, speed limits.”
Heck called on parents and guardians to set a good example for young drivers and children in the car by staying calm and patient on the road.
“People can be in a hurry. People have to stop for lights,” he said. “They have to maintain speed limits.”
Heck encouraged anyone who encounters an aggressive driver or road rage incident to stay away from that vehicle.
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