KINGMAN — The road rage incident involving two Kingman motorists that escalated into a shooting has been detailed by the Kingman Police Department (KPD). The incident that occurred about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday started in the vicinity of the intersection of Hualapai Mountain Road and Railroad Street.
Deputy Police Chief Joel Freed said the initial irritation occurred as the 73-year-old driver of a Ford Flex quickly came upon the rear-end of a Bronco as the vehicles on Hualapai Mountain Road were approaching the Dambar and Big O Tire. He said both vehicles turned left toward the downtown area before turning right and circling into the Walgreen’s parking lot, stopping a couple of parking spaces apart.
Freed said the driver of the Flex exited his vehicle while his wife remained in the passenger seat. He said the 73-year-old spotted a weapon as he confronted Nils Peters, 69, who remained in his Bronco as the pair exchanged curse words.
“What are you going to do shoot me? And the guy (Peters) says `yup’ and grabs the gun and he shoots him,” said Freed. He said Peters fired through the open passenger side window of the Bronco, dropping the victim by his Flex, while his wife was unharmed.
Police Chief Rusty Cooper said the victim was shot at least twice, about 10-15 feet from Peters.
An officer in an unmarked unit that was stopped at the light at the end of Stockton Hill Road turned left onto Andy Devine Avenue to return to the police station heard the gunshots and made a U-turn.
Cooper said the officer was not certain if motorcycle backfiring caused the noise when he saw people pointing into the parking lot. The officer stopped the Bronco after it exited the parking lot and arrested Nils on Stockton Hill Road between Walgreen’s and 66 Auto Sales.
“He was arrested in less than a minute from the time of the crime,” Freed said. He said Nils provided a full confession and explained he “lost it” under the weight of challenges in his personal life.
“He said in the interview that he literally snapped, that this was the straw that literally broke the camels back,” Freed said.
The KPD said the victim was transported to Kingman Regional Medical Center in critical condition but was considered stable early Wednesday evening. Nils was jailed for attempted murder and aggravated assault.
