Two individuals have been charged following a fatal incident on Interstate 24, where a road rage encounter led to the death of 22-year-old driver Noah Taylor. Authorities responded to a call at approximately 7:30 a.m., near mile marker 64, finding Taylor dead on the scene after his car crashed into other vehicles and a tree line. Rutherford County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspects as 40-year-old LaTashia McGowan and 41-year-old Glenn Branson, both residents of Smyrna, according to WKRN.
The investigation uncovered that multiple shots were fired from a dark-colored Infiniti SUV during the confrontation. Although it appears Taylor did not know McGowan or Branson at the time of the attack, both suspects have been charged with second-degree murder. In a statement obtained by WSMV, Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh said, "Our detectives worked tirelessly to solve this murder," and "we are relieved to place these two dangerous individuals in custody today." Taylor was on his way to work when the fatal shooting occurred. The event led to I-24 being closed for several hours as the scene was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, with the help of Murfreesboro Police's Real Time Crime Center, as noted by the WSMV report.
Details regarding the arrests of McGowan and Branson emerged shortly before Taylor's funeral today—the same day as the arrests—adding a somber note to the proceedings, with the family mourning while also witnessing a step toward justice. Taylor had just celebrated his birthday in June, and his family, alongside Rutherford County Crime Stoppers, had offered a combined reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to a suspect, as reported by WTVF. The details behind the arrests of McGowan and Branson have not been shared, but detectives have been working on the case nonstop since the shooting.
