Paul Howell Obituary – Murfreesboro police have identified the victim of a fatal road rage shooting on Saturday as 49-year-old motorcyclist Paul Howell.
The incident, which involved an SUV and injured another motorcyclist, took place at around 7:44 p.m. on South Rutherford Boulevard, according to Murfreesboro police spokesman Larry Flowers.
Howell was taken to a local hospital following the shooting, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The second victim, a 48-year-old man who has not been identified yet, was shot in the arm and received treatment for his wound, Flowers stated.
The SUV driver, 39-year-old Joseph Gann, has been charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and one count of reckless endangerment by the police. Gann initially fled the scene but later surrendered himself to officers at the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department Station 3 on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Gann is currently being held at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $1.5 million bond. He is scheduled for a hearing on June 24 at 8:30 a.m. before Rutherford County General Sessions Court Judge Ben Hall McFarlin III, as per online records.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Gann was driving a Toyota Rav4 when the road rage incident occurred with a group of motorcycle riders.
The situation escalated at the intersection of South Rutherford Boulevard and Southeast Broad Street/Manchester Highway (also known as U.S. Highway 41), where Gann fired multiple shots, hitting two of the motorcyclists.
The Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigations Division Violent Crimes detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the road rage shooting. Witnesses with any information relevant to the case are urged to contact Detective Drew Stalnaker at 629-201-5615.
