A mother is dead and a toddler is injured after a road rage incident in Tennessee. The incident reportedly occurred during the afternoon of December 15, 2024, in the 100 block of Emmaus Way in Hardin County. The shooting apparently resulted from a disagreement between 24-year-old Zoe Johnson and Clint Newton, 42. Johnson died from a gunshot wound, and crews took her 3-year-old daughter to Nashville for help. Newton faces a second-degree murder charge.
Hardin County Sheriff Johnny Alexander told WBBJ this was a “classic case” of road rage that ended in the worst possible way. Now, Johnson’s family is trying to raise money for the fiancé and two children she left behind.
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Alexander believes one of the drivers upset the other.
Based on the outcome, it appears Johnson’s driving enraged Newton, who took matters into his own hands. “Somebody cut somebody off, or something like that, and it pursued about four or five miles before they turned into Emmaus Way and the incident occurred,” the sheriff said, per WBBJ.
The road rage incident occurred several miles from where the shooting happened.
According to Alexander, the dispute began on Highway 64, a few miles away, and ended on Emmaus Way. “When officers arrived, they found two victims that had been injured by a gunshot. They did medical care on them until EMS arrived and got them out of the scene. During the investigation we ended up finding a suspect that had fired the shots into the vehicle. From our understanding, the incident began out on Highway 64 in just a classic old road rage,” the sheriff said.
Crews responded to the scene, tending to the mother and child.
Per a news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, deputies arrived and crews took Johnson to Hardin County Medical Center. Sadly, staff pronounced her dead a short time later. Her 3-year-old also was shot, and emergency personnel took her to a Nashville hospital for treatment. Alexander told WBBJ the child remained at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
Loved ones created a GoFundMe account.
David Tilley’s aunt, Jeannie Kennedy, created the fundraiser. “I am setting up the GoFundMe to help with medical expenses and funeral expenses. They did not have any kind of insurance whatsoever, and this family will need all the help and support that you can give,” she wrote on the page. “If you can’t give, pray for this family because they will need it. These children will have to grow up without their mother.” The GoFundMe has raised nearly $14,000 thus far.
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Newton faces second-degree murder charges.
A short time later, police arrested Newton and took him into custody. Per the TBI, he faces a second-degree murder charge and is being held in Hardin County Jail. If convicted, he could receive up to 60 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
