A Florida man is carrying on his self-defense claims following a freeway shooting on Interstate 95 near Miami in June of 2021.
The man, Eric Popper, fired 11 shots at a car passing him on the right as the two drove down the highway. According to Popper, the driver of the passing car rolled down the window and fired a shot at him.
Popper recorded the shooting with his vehicle’s onboard dash camera system, but even with the footage, it’s not entirely clear what happened in the short amount of time before he started shooting from inside his own car.
The video plainly shows Popper crossing three lanes of the highway and cutting off the other vehicle. He appears to “brake-check” the car behind him as well. Immediately after the shooting ended, Popper called 911.
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“I was just shot at, my car was hit,” Popper told My car was hit. “I returned fire back at the individual.”
According to reports, the other driver claimed to have thrown a water bottle out of his window. No one was hurt in the shooting.
“Your average person just doesn’t think, ‘Let me prepare my firearm, let me back my seat up, let me give myself a little bit of space,'” said former Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, who assessed the footage, pointing out how composed Popper appeared to be.
“He’s very fortunate that he didn’t strike someone,” said Colina.
Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comment section.