FHP: Port St. Lucie family shot at on Turnpike in road rage incident

Elliott Jones | Treasure Coast Newspapers

A road rage incident involving a Port St. Lucie family has led to a Georgia motorist being charged with attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, a Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman said Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon, a Mazda SUV driven by Reynold Sheltra, 48, of Port St. Lucie, was fired upon while attempting to pass a southbound vehicle on Florida's Turnpike, according to FHP.

No one was injured in the incident that started in Orange County and continued south into Osceola County about 3:45 p.m., according to a FHP report.

Sheltra's wife and son were in the SUV at the time. Sheltra called 911.

Troopers stopped motorist Kent Elkins, 52, at 4:13 p.m. Inside the vehicle, officers found a loaded Beretta handgun that Elkins said had accidentally fired, according to the FHP. It still had one round in the chamber and three in a magazine.

Elkins, of Pelham, Georgia, was arrested on charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, shooting at a vehicle and discharging a firearm in the public. He is being held in the Osceola County Jail in lieu of $270,000 bail.

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According to the FHP, he didn't have a concealed handgun permit for the weapon, which belonged to his wife.

An unfired weapon also was found in Sheltra's vehicle, according to the FHP report. Investigators found one 9mm bullet on the floorboard of Elkins' vehicle.

The motorists had different versions of who was the initial aggressor as they drove south on the turnpike.

Troopers quoted Elkins as saying Sheltra's vehicle approached from behind "at a high rate of speed ... and was tailgating him" as he was drove with his wife and two 18-year-old males.

"(Elkins) hit the brakes to make the vehicle get away from him," Elkins said, according to the report.

Elkins said Sheltra's vehicle then sped around him and "slammed on the brakes" after something was thrown at Elkins' vehicle.

Elkins got his handgun from under the steering wheel, andpointed the gun at Sheltra's vehicle "through an open window," and a bullet went off, according to the arrest report.

He accelerated to get by and saw "the driver (Sheltra) hold a gun inside the vehicle."

Sheltra said the incident started with Elkins "slamming on his brakes," making him swerve to avoid a collision.

He passed, and they "started to play a cat and mouse game" following each other, according to the report.

From the backseat, Sheltra's son yelled "gun and saw a gun pointed at the SUV, according to the report. "He saw the muzzle flash and the sound of a firearm being fired. He displayed his personal firearm as (Elkins) drove past his vehicle."

Asked by FHP why he didn't report the incident, Elkins said "that he thought it had been over with," according to the report.

Sheltra couldn't be reached for comment on Sunday.

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