Alaska Man Shot Five Times in Road Rage Attack on His Way Home From Work

A 19-year-old father was struck by five bullets after honking at a driver who cut him off near Anchorage. The suspect, Joseph Lemalie, 24, faces assault and weapons charges.

Five Shots Fired After Horn Honk at Anchorage Intersection

McKial McCarty, 19, was driving home from his shift at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on the night of 13 May when a light-coloured Chevy Equinox cut him off at a left-turn intersection. According to Law & Crime, which reviewed the criminal complaint, the driver of that vehicle — identified as Joseph Lemalie, 24 — nearly collided with McCarty as both men made the turn.

Lemalie then allegedly pulled alongside McCarty's car, rolled down his window, and fired five rounds into the vehicle. All five bullets struck McCarty, hitting his lungs, breaking one of his arms, and causing damage to his hip. His car was described as totalled.

McCarty told local NBC affiliate KTUU that he had honked his horn at Lemalie after being cut off. Lemalie slowed down, repositioned his vehicle next to McCarty's, and then — in McCarty's words — "mag dumped," emptying his weapon through the open window.

Speaking to police from his hospital bed, McCarty said he "immediately thought he was dead" after feeling his lungs "filling up" with blood. He stopped his car and got out, hoping someone nearby would call police and alert his family.

Despite the severity of his wounds, McCarty survived. Whilst still hospitalised, as his condition improved, he identified Lemalie from a lineup and told investigators he was "1,000% sure" of the identification.

Investigators tracked Lemalie's vehicle through traffic camera footage and located it at a residence connected to his family. Police seized the Equinox and recovered a spent 9 mm shell casing inside the vehicle. Additional 9 mm casings were found at the scene of the shooting.

Lemalie was arrested and charged with four counts of assault, misconduct involving weapons, and reckless endangerment. At a court appearance on 28 May in Anchorage, his bond was set at $50,000. He is currently held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex and is scheduled to return to court on 4 June.

McCarty's mother launched a GoFundMe page to help cover her son's recovery costs, noting the extent of his injuries and the loss of his vehicle. McCarty's girlfriend also started a separate fundraising page. The two share a daughter together.

Source: Law & Crime