Texas man accused of murdering road rage driver

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A Texas man is accused of murder after a road rage incident resulted in the death of a 38-year-old truck driver, reports CBS affiliate KHOU.

Bridget Straughter told the station that her son, 25-year-old Traevin Straughter, was only trying to protect his family when he opened fire on a vehicle outside his home Tuesday night. She said Traevin told her that he was driving home with pizza for his family when a pick-up truck attempted to run him off the road in north Harris County.

The truck's unidentified driver then allegedly followed Straughter back to his house, where witnesses reported seeing the pick-up stopped in the middle of the road, its engine revving. Court records obtained by KHOU state Traevin - who had parked in his driveway - told his uncle to go inside and get his gun.

"I don't condone anything, but my family has to be safe," Bridget Straughter told the station.

KHOU reports that Traevin Straughter, armed with a gun, walked to the end of his driveway. The pick-up driver then reportedly accelerated toward the suspect. The driver allegedly made some kind of gesture before Straughter opened fire.

Investigators found at least 16 shell casings at the scene, according to the station. The driver was killed in the incident. Bridget Straughter said her son, who is six feet tall and weighs 300 pounds, told her that he felt threatened.

"He said [he] was scared because, you know, the baby is in the house," she told KHOU. "He didn't know. [If] somebody pulls in front of your house, you don't know what's going to happen.... He has a 1-year-old child in the house and my mom. My momma is 60-something years old. So, who's to say what [the driver] is about to do?"

Detectives said the shooter dumped his gun in a bayou before calling 911, the station reports. In court Wednesday afternoon, a judge set Traevin Straughter's bond at $50,000.