Arizona truck driver fatally shot motorist for 'simply looking at him while stopped at red traffic light'
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: An Arizona man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of killing a motorist for "looking at him" while they had stopped side-by-side at a red light in Phoenix. The City of Phoenix Police Department said Nicolas Elliot, 30, shot and killed Alex W. Mixon, 26, on March 1 at around 3:15 am for "simply looking at him while stopped at a red traffic light," according to the Arizona Republic.
Mixon was traveling west on Thunderbird Road near 30th Street in a Dodge pickup that night when the truck crossed into the eastbound lanes, left the roadway, hit a power pole, and crashed through a wall before finally coming to a stop. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
Police initially suspected that the death was because of a one-vehicle collision, but declared that it was a homicide after an autopsy revealed that Mixon had been shot.
During their investigation, detectives accessed surveillance video from the area of 32nd Street and Thunderbird Road, which showed Mixon stopping at a red light at around 2:40 am when a larger pickup truck stopped next to him in a left-turn lane.
The larger truck proceeds to continue west on Thunderbird Road, with Mixon following. The video does not show the subsequent shooting and collision, but witnesses at the scene then came forward and confirmed Elliot was responsible for Mixon's death.
Three people who were present at the time of the incident said Mixon "merely looked over at (Elliott) which in turn enraged (him) to fire his handgun at (Mixon)." Another anonymous person similarly reported in July that they had overheard Elliot talking about shooting someone in the face earlier this year because the man "gave him a dirty look."
The 30-year-old was arrested at a hotel near Interstate 17 and Union Hills Drive on September 26, and during questioning, said he remembered arguing with a man at a red light but said he had forgotten if he had fired his weapon. However, he reportedly said "if he could go back in time, he would take the incident back."
Police said he also admitted that firearms and drugs found during his arrest belonged to him.
Elliot has been booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, misconduct involving weapons, and drug-related charges. He is being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court on October 3.