Road rage shooting in Merriam sends 51-year-old man to hospital

MERRIAM, Kan. — A 51-year-old man is in the hospital after a road rage incident ended in a shooting in Merriam late Monday night.

According to the Merriam Police Department, they believe it started near the I-635/I-35 interchange as both drivers drove to the south. The shooting happened at about 11:45 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 near 67th Street.

“At this time, all we have on the suspect vehicle is that it’s a dark colored passenger car,” Merriam Police Captain Troy Duvanel said Tuesday. “With the interstate traveling throughout all of Merriam, we’ve had numerous shootings like this over the last decade or so.”

After being shot, the driver continued going south, got off I-35 onto 69 South and then stopped near 95^th Street in Overland Park. The man who was shot was taken to the hospital and is stable at this time.

Duvanel said drivers should not engage with another person if they’re driving aggressively.

“Even if it means you have to get off the highway or whatever, take a different turn,” Duvanel said. “It’s not worth engaging. These things can escalate pretty quickly as we saw last night, and we’re just happy that we believe the driver of this one is going to survive.”

Police say the suspect or suspects are unknown at this time.

Anyone with information is urged to call 913-782-0720.You can also call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.