Road Rage Takes a Fatal Turn

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 —

Grand Rapids is still reeling from the shooting death of 42-year-old Lance Byers, but it seems that justice is around the corner.

2-year-old Emma and her father, Lance Byers, who was killed in a moment of road rage

On February 21, at the intersection of Lafayette and State Street, Byers was shot and killed by 24-year-old Jeannette Davis, who was traveling down the same road with her brother, Jountay, who was driving. Their black Lincoln Navigator ended up in the wrong turn lane, and a small argument escalated to the point where Jeanette got out of the car, walked toward Mr. Byers, and shot him point-blank in the chest.

Davis’s trial starts today. She is charged with second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Her brother, an accessory, is also a habitual offender, and is charged with second-degree murder as well.

Meanwhile, Lance Byers leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter, Emma, and the many people he’s helped through his work at the Michigan Department of Human Services.

Sadly, road rage and related fatalities are all too common.   The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that over “1500 men, women, and children are injured and killed each year in the United States” in such incidents.  SmartSign and its affiliates are in the business of safety signs on the road and off of it, but safety starts with people. Stay calm behind the wheel, and help do your part to make roads safer.

– R. Fogel

Category: News