Officials have revealed the identity of the individual who was shot after a tumultuous road rage confrontation that left the community in Orinda reeling.
A 50-year-old man from Orinda has been identified as the victim, named Scott Patrick Decker.
A deadly shooting occurred after an ongoing disagreement culminated at the intersection of Las Vegas Road and La Espiral, situated north of Highway 24. The incident involved a Toyota 4Runner, operated by Decker, and a Tesla, shortly after 11 a.m.
The individual operating the Tesla informed authorities that he discharged his weapon at Decker in self-defense, claiming that Decker had obstructed his path with his SUV, exited the vehicle, and struck him.
A 72-year-old man was taken into custody but not formally charged. A Tesla driver resides just a short distance of half a mile from where the incident occurred.
Scott Decker expressed his sorrow over the loss of his son, despite their estrangement, in an interview with KTVU on Friday.
“Too young, too fast,” he said. “He was a helluva kid. I hadn’t seen him in 10 years.”
He added, “It’s just sad, just so sad that such wasted talent.”
When questioned about claims that the other driver informed authorities he acted in self-defense, the father responded, “I have no idea what Scott did, you know? He could be pretty aggressive at times, so I don’t know. But I’m going to let, I’ll let the cops figure that out, and I don’t even want to get involved in that.”
Residents informed KTVU that Decker was set to marry and had been looking after his fiancée’s children in Orinda.
On Friday, there was no response at the door of the residence linked to the alleged shooter. A man who picked up the phone earlier in the day disconnected the call when reached out to by KTVU.
The setting On Thursday, a significant number of law enforcement officials were on the scene, with personnel from Lafayette, Moraga, and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office involved, as incidents of homicide are rare in the wealthy community of 19,000 residents.
“I heard a loud bang and my first thought was, ‘OK, gun’ and then I thought, ‘No way.’ I thought maybe it was just like a tire blew,” Shawn James previously told KTVU following the shooting.
