Prosecutor: Woman who shot 2 in road rage attack 'was there to defend herself'

Prosecutor says shooter in road rage case was defending herself

A Sterling Heights road rage incident where a woman shot a mother and daughter, is not being prosecuted.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - No charges were issued after two women were shot in self-defense in a road rage incident from Feb. 27 in Sterling Heights.

The Macomb County Prosecutor is not pursuing charges against the shooter or the mother and daughter who assaulted her.

"It’s absolutely clear the shooter was not the aggressor," said Pete Lucido. "The shooter actually was there to defend herself and her rights."

It is unclear how the altercation began — but a female driver pulled into a Carrabas parking lot on Schoenner and Hall road — and parked her car — a car with a mother and daughter inside followed.

Police say this mother and daughter got out of their vehicle in the parking lot.

They want up to this third lady — got into a verbal argument which turned physical, and even a shoe was thrown. That’s when the third woman, pulled out her gun.

"That driver believed her life to be in danger and did discharge a weapon," said Chief Dale Dwojakowski, Sterling Heights police. "She is a valid (concealed pistol license) holder, she had a weapon. That round struck the two people who approached her car.

A single shot was fired — and both mother and daughter were hit. They will recover.

Lucido says that in most self-defense cases the evidence is hearsay — 'he said vs she said' — but in this case, there’s concrete, physical evidence.

"There was an independent third-party bystander who got on the phone and called 911 and was giving a play-by-play facts situation," Lucido said. "There were also cameras that picked this up."

Lucido says the woman who pulled the trigger had abrasions from the assault and the shoe that she says she was attacked with, was found on the passenger side of her car.

"This is an unfortunate situation, the parties should have never allowed it to escalate to this, but it is going to happen," he said. "When it does, somebody who is going to be the aggressor is always going to be at fault. Because they didn’t have to get out of the car, they didn't have to rush the doors to get them open, and drag her out of the car."

The shooter has chosen not to press charges on the assault.