One of the two fathers involved in a Florida road rage incident that left each with a wounded daughter has been charged. The father who fired the first shot was ruled to have used justifiable force and faces no charges, according to the state attorney's statement.
William Hale, 36, was deemed the primary aggressor for the Oct. 8, 2022, shootout with Frank Allison, 44, and charged with seven counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault and shooting or throwing deadly missiles, per NBC's Jacksonville affiliate First Coast News.
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Hale, per the report, attempted to use his Ram truck to run Allison's Nissan Murano off the road on U.S. 1 near Callahan, Fla. and threw a water bottle at Allison’s vehicle. Unaware at the time of what had been thrown, Allison fired a single shot, hitting Hale's 5-year-old daughter in the upper calf.
Hale fired back, striking Allison's 14-year-old daughter in the back as he emptied his semi-automatic handgun into the vehicle, according to First Coast News.
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Both children are expected to make a full recovery, according to the statement.
Exact details vary among the witnesses, with the Hale family saying Allison began tailgating Hale's 18-year-old son, who was driving nearby in a GMC Sierra, and attempted to run him off the road after he had changed lanes to let them pass.
The Allisons said they were one car length behind one of the Hales, who were driving side-by-side, and were repeatedly brake checked. As Allison passed, his wife "flipped off" the Hales. Hale sped up and motioned for the Allisons to pull over and continued following them, attempting to run them off the road at high speeds. Hale then threw the water bottle, which later qualified as a deadly missile and led to Allison firing his gun out of fear for his family's safety.
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An independent witness described the incident as a "cat and mouse" driving pattern, with Allison "clearly attempting" to get away from Hale.
Under Florida law, "A person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another."
Hale, of Douglas, Ga., and Allison, of Callahan, Fla., were arrested on Oct. 8 on charges of second-degree murder, per the statement. Both had concealed weapons permits at the time of the incident and neither had convictions that would provide for impeachment. Formal charges were not filed in the case until March 30.
"William Hale’s aggressive driving pattern and the throwing of a water bottle placed the Allisons in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm and constitute the commission of forcible felonies," the state attorney's statement read. "William Hale’s actions — both independently and collectively — justify Frank Allison’s use of deadly force against William Hale. As such, the State declines to file charges against Frank Allison and elects to file charges against William Hale."
