A man from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has been accused of shooting and killing another man during a road-rage incident on Interstate 70 near Oak Grove. Charles J. Smith, 18, faces charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of 53-year-old Gary L. Denham. According to court documents, Oak Grove police officers were notified of the incident at around 4:23 p.m. on Wednesday.
Officers discovered a white Hyundai Elantra and Ford truck had been involved in a road-rage incident. During the incident, Dehnam, who was driving the Ford truck, exited the highway and ended up crashing into a parked vehicle at a Petro Travel Center.
Responding officers located Denham’s truck and later realized he’d been shot. He later died from his injuries.
Shortly after the shooting, Missouri State Highway Patrol located the Elantra traveling east on I-70 in Lafayette County. Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the Elantra fled them. Eventually, the Elantra went into a field south of I-70 and the driver fled on foot. A manhunt ensued both by ground and through air, but a suspect was not located.
Through further investigation, it was discovered Smith was the driver of the Elantra.
Early Thursday, investigators received a tip matching the description of Smith in Sweet Springs, Missouri. Smith was later located hiding behind an automotive shop in Sweet Springs and was taken into custody.
In an interview with detectives, Smith told detectives Denham had been using obscene language towards him and that he cut him off. Smith also said Denham had hit his car multiple times and he later fired a Mini Draco 7.62×39 as a warning shot. Smith said he thought Denham would cause him to flip over and he wasn’t aware Denham had been hit.