LEE COUNTY, Fla. - Law enforcement experts are warning against road rage after a homicide in San Carlos Park Tuesday evening.
Neighbors say they believe road rage may have had something to do with a dispute leading up to a shooting on Pine Run Lane in Fort Myers. Lee County deputies have not confirmed whether or not road rage was the trigger.
According to a report released earlier this year by The Trace, Florida is at the top of the list for road rage instances when compared to other states in the country.
"Almost everybody has a gun," said Walt Zalisko, a retired New Jersey police chief. That's why he says it's not uncommon for a dispute to escalate quickly.
Nearly 2 million Floridians have concealed weapons permits, the most of any state in the country.
In Southwest Florida counties - Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry - more than 100,000 people have permits, most in Lee County.
"Florida has very relaxed gun laws," said Aaron Forum, owner of Shoot Center in Cape Coral who says people should be able to protect themselves. "If you reasonably believe your life is in danger and you have to use deadly force to protect your life, or someone else's life or to prevent a forcible felony."
"You have to remain calm. Let that person go who engages the road rage incident. Don't let it get to you because you don't know if that person is armed. You don't know what their mental state is," Zalisko said.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office say they're still investigating the shooting.
