Driver found guilty of murder in connection with road rage incident last summer

Almost a year earlier, a truck driver was found guilty after shooting another driver during a traffic dispute.

The truck driver was sentenced this week for the August 30, 2023 incident. 49-year-old Lashawn D. Hughes was found guilty of murder, possession of a weapon while under disability and tampering with evidence.

According to the Sidney Daily News, Brandon Tyler Welsh and Hughes were both driving commercial trucks on Interstate 75 in Sidney, Ohio, when they were involved in a rear-end collision. Hughes did not stop during the crash, and Welsh followed him for several miles before Hughes exited at St. Mary's Avenue and drove into the parking lot of a business unrelated to either truck driver.

Dashcam video from one of the semi-trucks shows Welsh parking behind Hughes, walking unarmed toward his cab, and then disappearing from view. Hughes drives away from the scene less than a minute later, driving through a large pool of blood, leaving bloody tire tracks in the parking lot.

A third driver, Jake Rager, then pulls into the parking lot to inspect the business and notices that Welsh's truck has not moved. He drives a short distance and sees Welsh's body lying on the ground, prompting him to call 911. It was later determined that Welsh had been shot in the left eye, resulting in a fatal injury.

Police then began searching for Hughes' truck and eventually found it, but Hughes led them around in circles before finally stopping. Hughes was arrested, but police did not find a gun in his truck. It was later discovered that Hughes had already been convicted of murder in 1993. The gun was eventually found in a grassy area near where Hughes had led police around in circles. Hughes initially told police he had not stopped in Sidney at all, but had simply driven through on I-75.

During his description of the incident in court, Hughes stated that he did not realize he had hit Welsh's truck on the highway because he was on the phone with his dispatcher, explaining that he would be late for his delivery because he had gotten lost. He said he pulled into the company parking lot because he had gotten lost and because he needed to use the bathroom.

Hughes said he had just relieved himself in his cab when Welsh was banging on his cab door and seemed agitated. He told Hughes he had hit his truck, so Hughes said he would grab his papers if Welsh grabbed his. Hughes said Welsh then opened the cab door and grabbed him, trying to pull him out of the cab while yelling obscenities at him. Hughes said he then hit his shoulder on the steering wheel and he was afraid he would hit his head if Welsh kept pulling him, so he got his gun out the door and shot Welsh.

Hughes says he panicked after the shooting and left the scene. He said he was on the phone with his wife trying to figure out what to do when police caught up with him, which is why he didn't see the police lights or hear the sirens. He said he threw the gun out of the cab out of fear, thinking the restriction preventing him from owning the gun had been fixed by a previous attorney.

The jury deliberated for an hour before returning the guilty verdict. Sentencing is scheduled for October 25.