ST. ALBANS, Vt. -Police say road rage in St. Albans fueled a deadly shooting.

A deadly dispute on the roads left a woman shot multiple times on the side of North Main Street in St. Albans.

“We believe this was a case of road rage that went awry and turned violent,” said Lt. Ron Hoague of the St. Albans Police Department.

Police say at about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, the suspect, Matthew Webster, 30, of Swanton, ran a red light and nearly hit another car. They say the woman driving that car followed him and when they got out of their cars to confront each other up the road, Webster shot her.

“It’s pretty shocking. I’ve been a police officer for 23 years now and I’ve seen violence of all different kinds, but even after all that it’s still shocking to see something like that happen to two people who seemed not to know each other until they met,” Hoague explained.

Witnesses say they heard the gunshots and came upon a gruesome scene.

“You could see two bullet holes through the back that came out the back and it looked like she had been shot in the head,” Nathan Elwood said.

The 31-year-old woman from Highgate was taken to the hospital where she died. Webster was arrested a short distance away with the gun police say was used in the shooting.

Police say Webster’s wife was also following her husband in another car and witnessed part of the incident. They say problems at home may have pushed Webster to the breaking point and a complete stranger was caught in the middle.

Residents are concerned that the violence is moving closer and closer to their backyards.

“It’s coming to our doorstep now. You hear about it in other parts of the country and the state, but now it’s happening right here. It’s pretty crazy. It’s got to stop,” Elwood said.

Webster is expected to be in court Thursday morning, where he’s expected to face second-degree homicide charges. Police have not yet released the woman’s name.

Article courtesy of: www.wcax.com