A Knoxville man is facing attempted murder charges after police say he opened fire on a car carrying a 25-year-old woman and her 1-year-old child during a road rage incident on I-40 East earlier this month. Nobody was hit, but police say the woman's car was struck at least twice by gunfire as she tried to get away.
According to WATE 6 On Your Side, Knoxville police officers responded to I-40 East at North Gallaher View Road on October 18 after getting a report of a shooting tied to road rage. As reported by WVLT, officers arrived at the scene at around 9:15 p.m. that night to begin piecing together what had happened on the busy interstate.
The woman told police she had been driving from Niota to Knoxville with her child when a red pickup truck began tailgating her for several miles. She said she eventually saw the truck's driver yelling at her with a gun in his hand, according to the station's report. Police say the driver then fired multiple rounds at her car near the Bridgewater Road area of I-40 East.
Shooter Fled Before Exiting Near Walker Springs Road
Police say the woman's vehicle was struck at least twice by the gunfire, though neither she nor her child was hit or injured. After the shooting, the driver did not stop — he continued down I-40 East before exiting at Walker Springs Road, per the same account.
Investigators with the Knoxville Police Department Violent Crimes Unit and Gun Team worked the case for several days before identifying 38-year-old Shelby Lloyd Jr. as the suspect. On Friday, Lloyd was detained following a traffic stop and questioned by detectives, the station notes.
Two Felony Charges Each for Attempted Murder and Firearm Use
Police say Lloyd was taken into custody on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony — charges that reflect both the woman and her young child in the car. The charges stem directly from the October 18 shooting on I-40.
The case echoes another road-rage shooting Knoxville police investigated earlier this year. In June, the Knoxville Police Department said 21-year-old Keyone Berry was arrested after a road rage-related shooting on Moody Avenue near Woodlawn Pike.
