Cop Charged With Murder in Road Rage Death

Detective had his wife, kids in minivan with him at the time
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2013 1:26 PM CDT
Cop Charged With Murder in Road Rage Death
   (Shutterstock)

A New Jersey police officer was driving back home through Maryland on Saturday night, his wife and three children in the minivan with him, when a road rage incident erupted, leaving one man dead and the off-duty officer charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. All police have said so far is that Joseph Harvey Jr. "came into contact" with officer Joseph Walker before the incident, the Washington Post reports. One witness says Walker cut Harvey off, and Harvey's passenger says Walker pointed a gun at them as they came close to one another, MyFox New York reports. Both cars stopped on the shoulder of a Route 3 off-ramp, which is where things got bad.

Harvey and his passenger got out of Harvey's Honda Accord, and Harvey started walking toward Walker's vehicle. Walker reportedly warned Harvey that he was a police officer, but according to police, Harvey kept coming in an "aggressive manner." That's when authorities say Walker shot Harvey with a pistol; Harvey's passenger was not hurt. Walker, a detective with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, is being held on $1 million bail. (More road rage stories.)

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