Man shoots another man who punched him during road rage incident, police say

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A man shot another man who punched him during a road rage incident on Winfield Dunn Parkway on Saturday, according to a Sevierville Police Department report.

Officers responded to the Welcome Center after hearing reports of an active fight. When they arrived, they spoke with the woman, Samantha Griffin, who called 911. She told police that her husband, Joshua Griffin, and she were driving on Winfield Dunn Parkway when they were cut off by a Dodge Ram driven by Earl Lane, the report stated.

When the husband moved to the middle lane, the truck again cut them off. The report stated that when they went to the right lane, the truck moved in front of them and slammed on its brakes, forcing both vehicles to quickly stop.

Samantha Griffin said that when both vehicles were stopped, Lane got out of his truck, walked over to their car and started to punch Joshua Griffin in the face. She told officers that she suddenly heard gunshots.

When officers spoke with Joshua Griffin, he said that when Lane was punching him, he grabbed his handgun that was near the emergency brake and fired two or three shots at Lane.

Lane allegedly got back into his truck and drove to the Welcome Center, and Joshua Griffin followed him “to make sure he was ok,” according to the report.

Joshua Griffin told officers that he unloaded his gun and put it back by the emergency brake.

Officers spoke with Lane and saw multiple puncture wounds on his back and his ribs. While an officer called an ambulance, Lane reportedly said he was okay and didn’t need any help.

When ambulance crews arrived and told Lane he needed to go to the hospital, he first refused, according to the report. One officer found a bullet in the small of Lane’s back under his boxers, the report stated.

The report did not specify if either man was arrested. WVLT News has reached out for further clarification.

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