I-4 Shooting Suspect Denied Bail

This weekend’s I-4 shooting near Orlando led to the death of one man and the arrest of another, and what was originally believed to be an incident of road rage was in fact a case of mistaken identity.

The I-4 shooting Saturday stunned the family of victim Frank Turner, described as a quiet and hardworking man before he was suddenly shot dead in what initially appeared to be a road rage murder in Orlando Saturday.

Ultimately, police discovered, it was not road rage, but the unfortunate mistake of the suspected shooter in believing Turner was the man with whom he’d quibbled at a local strip club earlier.

When all was said and done, Turner lay dead — shot while on the phone with police to report an aggressive driver brandishing a handgun at him.

WTSP reports that the man sought by suspect Jerome Hayes was actually another man named James Prather, not in the vehicle with Turner at the time of the shooting. The station reports that Hayes and a friend may have instigated an altercation with Prather before tailing and ultimately shooting Turner and killing him.

The site explains:

“James Prather is the man deputies say Jerome Hayes and his friend thought they were following Saturday afternoon… 10 News spoke with Prather on the phone who said he feels horrible a bullet meant for him took the life of another. As for the fight at the club, Prather said he had never met the two men before they exchanged words after they picked a fight with him.”

Today, Hayes was denied bail, and afterwards, his attorney Nick Matassini commented:

“The question is going to be: Can law enforcement link my client leaving these establishments, heading on I-4, and coming ultimately into contact with the victim of the shooting.”

The friend of Hayes allegedly present during the I-4 shooting has not been identified in press reports.