Suspect in south Lee road rage incident shoots himself

A driver who brandished his gun at a woman during a road rage incident in south Fort Myers shot himself instead.

The incident began near Constitution Boulevard as the two vehicles traveled southbound on U.S. 41 and ended almost five miles later on Corkscrew Road in Estero, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

"At some point in time the subject did pull a gun at the female victim," said Lt. Scott Lineberger, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

In addition to the gun, near the Publix at U.S. 41 and Corkscrew Road, the man brandished what appeared to be a rifle at the victim, Lineberger said.

"Somewhere in that exchange, the suspect sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Lineberger said.

The suspect tried to run the woman off the road, according to Lineberger.

The woman, who had three teenagers in her vehicle, was not hurt, Lineberger said.

The call came in as a shots fired call, but deputies were still working to determine where along the 5-mile trip the suspect shot himself.

The suspect's car crashed into a guardrail in the westbound lanes of Corkscrew Road near the intersection of Sandy Lane. The lanes were closed for a short period of time.

According to Lineberger, the suspect was taken to a local hospital.

A deputy recovered what he said was a large black rifle and a handgun from the car and saw a large amount of blood around the diver's area.

Witnesses at the scene said they heard the driver of the silver Mercedes say he shot himself.

Lineberger called the incident bizarre and said the victim did the right thing by calling 911.

"After you encounter a road rage incident it's better to let them drive off, call the sheriff's office, give the details," Lineberger said.

The suspect's name and age have not been released.

Thursday, a spokesman for the sheriff said the suspect had not yet been arrested and booked and was still being treated at a local hospital.

No arrests have been made, but the investigation is still open.