An apparent incident of road rage turned violent late Friday, Oct. 14 in Kansas City, Mo., leaving one out-of-state man dead and another in custody on murder charges.
The Platte County Prosecutor’s Office filed one count of second-degree murder against Bobby Crumpton, 22, of Wichita, Kan. in connection with the death of 35-year-old Clinton Alsobrook of Charlotte, Texas. According to court documents, the vehicles the two men were driving collided with each other at about 10 p.m. as they exited eastbound Highway 152 onto northbound Interstate 29.
Bobby Crumpton
A confrontation ensued, and Crumpton allegedly fired multiple shots into Alsobrook’s vehicle, striking him once in the leg and once in the head near the left temple. Alsobrook and a passenger in his maroon SUV were not armed, according to court documents.
“No one should lose their life because someone gets angry behind the wheel,” Platte County prosecuting attorney Eric Zahnd said. “If you’re the victim of a road rage incident, try to drive to a safe place. If you’re the instigator, this case is a tragic reminder of how quickly things can get out of control.”
Crumpton remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center in lieu of a $1 million cash-only bond.
According to court documents, Crumpton left the scene of the shooting and called 9-1-1 from the Phillips 66 convenience store at 4411 NW Barry Rd. near the intersection with Green Hills Road.
Officers arrived and made contact with Crumpton and three other occupants of his Chrysler 300. A handgun was found on the console of the car with the slide locked back.
“I don’t want to go to prison,” Crumpton told officers according to a probable cause statement. “I did what I thought was right. That guy tried to run me over.”
In addition, Crumpton allegedly told the 9-1-1 operator, “I do think I shot more than I had to,” after he admitted to shooting at a guy who “ran him off the road.”
The witnesses in Crumpton’s car accused Alsobrook of aggressive and erratic driving. The passenger in Alsobrook’s car suffered minor injuries, although no details were given in court documents on if he was shot, but indicated the shooter had been the aggressive driver.
Contributed photo
A law enforcement vehicle, right, sits next to a gray Chrysler 300 sedan Friday, Oct. 14 in the parking lot of the Phillips 66 convenience store at 4411 NW Barry Rd. Authorities took 22-year-old Bobby Crumpton into custody there after he phoned police following a fatal shooting that took place at a nearby location after an apparent deadly incident of road rage. Crumpton remains in custody, charged with second-degree murder.
The scene of the shooting was on an elongated curved entrance ramp, and responding officers found the SUV facing southeasterly in the grass off the shoulder and up against an embankment. According to court documents, Alsobrook was found dead in the driver’s seat with the vehicle running and the headlights and radio on.
Significant amounts of glass shards were found in the roadway along with shell casings in the grass on the east side of the roadway.
Two of the witnesses in the suspect’s car indicated Crumpton was driving east on Highway 152 toward Liberty. According to court documents, they claimed the maroon SUV of the victim struck the Chrysler 300 before both vehicles came to a stop on the east shoulder of the off ramp, facing southbound.
Crumpton then allegedly approached the other vehicle, and the two witnesses interviewed said they heard gunshots but did not know any verbal altercation or threats made.
The third witness in Crumpton’s car said the two vehicles came to rest parallel from each other while facing south on the ramp. The witness said Crumpton exited the vehicle before reaching back in for a gun and then firing shots at the SUV without any verbal altercation or threats.
The injured passenger in the victim’s car said Alsobrook had become frustrated with the driver of the gray Chrysler 300 while on 152. The passenger added that the passenger side of the sedan struck their SUV as both vehicles exited on the ramp.
According to court documents, the gray sedan was on the driver’s side of the victim’s SUV when shots were fired, breaking out the passenger side window. The witness recognized Alsobrook had been shot in the head while also realizing his hand had been injured.
The witness then saw Crumpton’s car drive away eastbound across the median and away from the scene, while the victim’s car rolled off the roadway. The passenger said no threats were made toward Crumpton prior to the shooting.
Crumpton agreed to an interview with police that night and claimed Alsobrook ran him off the road. According to court documents, the suspect claims to have walked toward the SUV with his loaded handgun when the victim allegedly shouted, “I’m going to kill you” through his open window.
According to Crumpton, the vehicle then started to travel toward him so “he began shooting toward the engine block and driver’s side view mirror of the maroon SUV in an effort to make the driver stop.” He didn’t know if the driver was armed, according to his statement, but felt his life was in danger.
Crumpton also said the handgun located inside the Chrysler belonged to him and had been used to shoot at the victim.
According to KSHB TV, Kansas City’s NBC affiliate, Alsobrook was married with four kids and lived in San Antonio. His wife told the news station in an interview that he had taken a job in Kansas City to help make ends meet.