A man in his 70s was shot in the back while driving home to Arvada from Golden Tuesday night, after a road rage encounter near the on-ramp from West Colfax Avenue to eastbound Interstate 70 turned violent. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says the shooter fled the scene and remains at large, leaving investigators with only a vague description of a red, four-door sedan to go on.
According to the Denver Gazette, the man told police he and his wife had an altercation with another driver just after 9 p.m. Tuesday as they merged onto the highway. A red car pulled in behind their vehicle and opened fire, striking the victim's car with five bullets, one of which hit the driver in the back. As reported by KUSA 9News, the shooting happened precisely where the Colfax Avenue on-ramp feeds into eastbound I-70, a route that serves as a key connector between Golden and northern Jefferson County communities.
The victim managed to drive himself to a local hospital, where his injuries were described as not life-threatening. His wife, who was in the car at the time, was uninjured. The Gazette's report notes deputies are now working to locate and review surveillance footage that may have captured the incident or the suspect vehicle, and anyone with information has been asked to call 303-980-7300.
A Pattern of Gunfire on Jeffco Roads
This is not the first time gunfire has erupted out of a road rage dispute in Jefferson County this year. In March, Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies deployed a K-9 unit, a drone, and a tactical perimeter to arrest a driver accused of pointing a firearm at an RTD bus driver during a road rage standoff in the county. And in August, First Judicial District prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against a Jefferson County couple after a minor collision on Santa Fe Drive escalated into a pursuit that ended with the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old passenger, a case Hoodline covered as charges filed in Littleton man's death.
The trend extends well beyond the county line. Hoodline also reported on a deadly road rage shooting near Broadway and Maple in Denver and an arrest after a gun was fired during a road rage incident on U.S. 36 near Superior in Boulder County, while a separate case out of Clear Creek County this week saw deputies arrest a driver in an I-70 road rage chase near Idaho Springs.
Statewide Numbers Show Aggressive Driving on the Rise
The surge in violent confrontations tracks with statewide data. The Colorado State Patrol reported that calls to its dedicated aggressive driving hotline reached 58,000 in 2025, with more than 33,000 of those reports — 57.3% — specifically involving road rage or aggressive driving, a figure that has climbed from 54% in 2023 to 56% in 2024, according to KUSA 9News.
Research published by the Colorado Department of Transportation in November 2025 found that 96% of surveyed motorists had experienced or engaged in aggressive driving over the prior 12 months, and 11% admitted taking direct violent action, such as intentionally bumping another car or confronting a driver. The Colorado State Patrol advises motorists who encounter an aggressive driver to avoid eye contact or retaliation, create physical distance, and report the vehicle's description, license plate, and direction of travel to *CSP (*277) or 911.
For now, the shooter remains unidentified and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is seeking surveillance footage that may help identify the red sedan. Deputies are asking anyone with information to come forward as the search continues.
