Road rage was behind one driver fatally shooting another on an Interstate 94 entrance ramp in Minneapolis over the weekend, according to charges filed Wednesday.
George Howard, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting that occurred late in the afternoon Sunday at I-94 and N. Dowling Avenue.
Howard, who turns 48 on Thursday, remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of a court appearance Thursday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
The victim, identified Wednesday as 38-year-old Luis D. Martinez Ortiz, was declared dead at North Memorial Health Hospital soon after the shooting. Martinez Ortiz was shot in the chest, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
A wounded Martinez Ortiz drove down the ramp, onto I-94 and off the road, hitting meter lights before his car came to a rest along the center median, police said.
The charges did not reveal any details about what led to the drivers' angry encounter.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman with Howard in the car said that he and Martinez Ortiz "got into a road rage incident prior to entering Interstate 94," the charges read. Martinez Ortiz came up to Howard's car and punched him. Howard then shot Martinez Ortiz.
Surveillance video showed the encounter on the ramp, and video captured Martinez Ortiz collapsing on the ramp next to Howard's car before he got back into his vehicle and crashed on I-94.
Additional surveillance video captured Howard driving to a nearby gas station, where he left on foot. The woman got behind the wheel and drove off.
Howard admitted to investigators his role in the road rage incident but denied shooting Martinez Ortiz. After being told that the encounter was recorded on surveillance video, Howard said a back seat passenger named "Jerome" shot Martinez Ortiz. Even after being told that the video only showed the woman's dog in the back seat, Howard said "Jerome" was lying down in back. Howard offered no further identifying information about "Jerome."
Howard's criminal history in Minnesota includes three convictions for disorderly conduct, and one each for assault and for illegal weapons possession.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
Ambi Subramaniam and Kaushiki Chakraborty to Minnesotans: Lean in on Indian classical music, it's fun
8 months in jail for Blaine man who caused 120-mph crash hours after he was caught speeding
Daughter sues St. Paul, two officers in Yia Xiong's killing
Showdown over DEI issues won't lead to Anoka-Hennepin shutdown, superintendent says
