Aaron Harris of Highland & Jonathan McConnell of Corona, CA shoot each other dead in San Bernardino road rage incident as driver’s 2 kids look on after initial collision leads to deadly confrontation.
Two men are dead after a traffic collision in San Bernardino, California over the weekend erupted in gunfire between a vehicle driver and motorcyclist, leading to both their deaths. The alleged road rage shooting incident occurred in the presence of the driver’s two children, police said.
Aaron Harris, 37, of Highland, and Jonathan McConnell, 38, of Corona got into a violent confrontation that initially started as a hit-and-run on the 210 Freeway before ending in a bar parking lot, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 8pm, Saturday, McConnell was weaving in and out of lanes on a motorcycle when he collided with a sedan driven by Harris.
Driver followed motorcyclist following initial collision
Harris then followed the motorcyclist into a parking lot while his two children, 2 and 5, rode in the backseat. Upon Harris confronting the motorcyclist with a drawn weapon, the other man responded in kind, with both men fatally shooting each other.
‘It could have been so incredibly simple. Unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead,’ Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department told KABC.
Harris’ children were not physically harmed but a man at the scene was injured after being shot in the hand.
At the time of the accident, instead of pulling over after clipping the sedan, McConnell continued to drive.
Once he reached Joy’s Bar and Lounge on Baseline Street, McConnell ‘met with several people known to him’ in the parking lot.
Harris soon pulled into the same lot after following McConnell from the Freeway.
‘How things can go so wrong so quickly,’
The father then started to yell at McConnell as the pair became ‘confrontational,’ Rodriguez said.
Despite attempts to save the two men, Harris and McConnell were pronounced dead upon being rushed to hospital.
‘They were both armed, and a shooting occurred, and the two of them both ended up deceased at the end of the night,’ Rodriguez stated.
‘We all get angry on the roads sometimes, especially these days there’s so much traffic out there and so many things going on. But this is a great example of how things can go so wrong so quickly,’ Rodriguez added.
A GoFundMe page was created by Harris’ sister Crystal to raise money for his funeral.
‘My brother was silly but also a great father, family man and always willing to be of help if needed,’ Crystal wrote in the fundraiser.
‘This incident has left our family hurt and saddened by his loss.’
A 2024 report from Forbes describes California as one of the worst states for ‘confrontational drivers’, noting that a ‘high percentage of drivers’ in the state have experienced ‘some type of road rage, including being cut off, cursed at and tailgating.’
