California Injury Blog
Aiden Leos, 6, was killed in what police say is a road rage incident on the 55 Freeway in Orange. According to a report in The Orange County Register, Aiden was sitting in a booster seat in the back seat of his mother’s care when a suspect shot at them on the freeway.
The tragic incident happened on the morning of May 21, with the shooter fleeing the scene.
Road Rage and Shooting
The Orange County Register talked to another couple who had just dropped off their two children at school and entered the freeway when they saw a silver Chevrolet Sonic on the shoulder near Chapman Avenue.
They saw a woman pulling her young son out and dropping to the ground with her son in her arms. When they stopped to help, the distraught mom told them that she had flipped off the driver of a white sedan after he cut her off in the carpool lane. The woman said when she moved to the right, the white sedan, carrying a man and woman, slipped in behind her and someone opened fire.
The couple who helped Aiden’s mother told the Register that there was a bullet hole in the trunk of the Chevy and that the boy appeared to have been shot in the back. Other good Samaritans pulled over to help, including an off-duty police officer who performed CPR on the boy. However, Aiden was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The child had just turned 6 last week, his family said. The suspected shooter remains at large and officials are still looking for the white sedan. Aiden’s relatives announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family of Aiden Leos for this tragic, heartbreaking, and unimaginable loss. They will certainly be in our thoughts and prayers.
Ongoing Investigation
This senseless shooting and killing of a kindergartener is shocking and tragic. According to a recent study, road rage incidents involving guns are on the rise. The Trace, an independent nonprofit news organization that covers gun issues, says there were at least 620 gun-involved road rage incidents in 2016, more than double the number from two years earlier.
Safety experts say that the best way to handle road rage is to defuse the situation. If you find that you have agitated another driver – regardless of whose fault the incident was – do not react or retaliate because this might cause the situation to escalate. Avoid eye contact and continue to practice safe driving habits. Since we never know the temperament of other drivers or whether someone has a gun, it is best not to act out in retaliation.
In this case, a young, innocent life was lost. We certainly hope that the suspect in this case is apprehended and brought to justice. We pray for the peace and comfort of everyone who is mourning this child’s untimely and tragic loss.
Source: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/23/family-offers-50k-reward-for-information-leading-to-arrest-in-killing-of-6-year-old-boy-on-55-freeway/