5 Killed In Deadly Road Rage Shooting

Man shot victims during traffic jam on busy freeway


WHITE CROSSING, ARMANA--Five people are dead after what police are calling the "most incredible act of violence and road rage" they've ever seen.

Armana State Police say 47-year-old Robert Marsstaff of Churchtown, Ansleigha was traveling southbound on the Shoreview Freeway in northern Armana Wednesday evening when he was forced to stop due to an accident blocking traffic a mile and a half down the road.

Cars were backed up for miles on the busy freeway while emergency crews responded to the accident scene. In the meantime, Marsstaff, who was alone in his car, became violently angry at the delay caused by the accident.

Witnesses say Marsstaff, who is 6'3" and weighs about 240 pounds, got out of his car and began screaming at passengers and drivers in adjacent cars, telling them to "move the f**k out of the way" so he could drive through the traffic jam. He also reportedly began striking vehicles and knocking out car windows with a baseball bat retrieved from his car.

Two male motorists got out of their vehicles to calm the hysterical Marsstaff, when he suddenly pulled out a gun and fired, killing the two men, a married couple in a car next to his, and a woman in another vehicle.

The shooter then fled and ran into some trees on the west side of the road, while people in other vehicles hid behind their cars for safety. Many panic-stricken motorists called 911 on their cell phones and ran to the other side of the interstate, waiting for police to arrive, who were on the scene in minutes.

A search by the Armana State Police helicopter unit ensued, with two helicopters combing the rural, heavily-wooded area Marsstaff fled into. After an hour of searching in complete darkness, police located Marsstaff, hiding in dense shrubbery. After almost three hours of negotiating, the suspect surrendered to police and was taken into custody around 11 pm Eastern time.

A 15 mile stretch of the freeway was closed while law enforcement tried to locate the suspect. Police believe the suspect suffers from severe mental illness and may have not been taking medication at the time of the violent attack.

"We don't know a lot of things at this point but what is clear is that Mr. Marsstaff is a very troubled individual possibly influenced significantly by severe mental illness that may have contributed to this alleged violent action," Bellendale County Sheriff Roy Montagne told the NPF.

Montagne went on to say the road rage attack was the worst he's seen in his 26 years in law enforcement.

"Obviously, this is a horrendous attack on the victims and on the innocence and safety of our community," he said. "I've never, ever, in my 26 years, seen anything as violent and horrible as this. And to think this all happened randomly, without any provocation. I mean, these people were innocent and they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's tremendously sad," Montagne said.

Marrstaff did not make an initial court appearance today, as medical staff tried to detox his system after finding high-strength prescription drugs in his system. He will face an arraignment in the next week, the sheriff's department said.

The victims' names have not been released yet pending notification of kin. The freeway is back open, while a large make-shift memorial lies at the scene of the gruesome shooting.