Driver fatally shot accused road rage attacker, CA officials say. He won’t be charged
A driver will not face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of an accused road rage driver, California prosecutors say.
The decision to not file charges against the driver follows “a thorough review of the evidence and the circumstances of the assault on the driver,” the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said in a Jan. 8 news release.
As the man drove in Orinda on Sept. 12, he came across a Toyota 4Runner “moving slowly and moving off to the right side of the road,” prosecutors said.
The driver passed the 4Runner, driven by Scott Decker, 50, prosecutors said.
Then, in response, Decker pulled in front of the driver’s car and blocked his path, prosecutors said.
Decker got out of his SUV and “punched the driver three times in the face” as the motorist sat in his car, according to prosecutors.
The driver, “a registered gun owner with a concealed carry permit,” pulled out a handgun and fired a shot, hitting Decker in the neck, prosecutors said.
First responders tried to save Decker, but he died on scene, according to prosecutors.
In a Sept. 12 Facebook post, Orinda police called the fatal shooting a “rare” and “tragic incident.”
The driver was detained but later released “pending further investigation,” the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sept. 13 Facebook post.
The driver gave law enforcement video footage of the incident that was captured by a camera in his car, prosecutors said.
Though Decker’s father hadn’t seen him in 10 years, he told KTVU “he was a helluva kid.”
“It’s just sad, just so sad that (he had) such wasted talent,” he told the outlet.
Decker is survived by his “loving partner,” according to his obituary, which described him as a “dedicated father figure.”
Orinda is about a 20-mile drive northeast from San Francisco.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Driver fatally shot accused road rage attacker, CA officials say. He won’t be charged."
