Man accused of shooting at another motorist on I-55 in Perry County

A man shot at another driver on Interstate 55 in Perry County after becoming enraged Friday afternoon, police said.

The Perry County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged David Paul Ellis, 28, of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon Saturday. All charges are felonies.

Police responded to I-55 near mile marker 119 for reports of shots fired at a motor vehicle around 3:45 p.m. Friday, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by Missouri State Highway Patrol officer M. Stamps.

The victim told police she was driving her motor home north when a blue car came up behind her, Stamps wrote.

The car passed the motor home when it slowed while climbing a hill, but the motor home caught up to and passed the blue car on the downhill, according to the statement.

This happened again on the next hill, but the blue car, the victim said, was driving more aggressively, nearly hitting her car and braking suddenly in front of the motor home, Stamps wrote.

As the victim passed Ellis’ vehicle a third time, the blue car sped up, and she saw the driver reach toward the rear seat and shoot twice through the back window, according to the statement.

Police found both shots went through the motor home’s windshield, one grazing the driver’s sun visor, Stamps wrote.

The other bullet ricocheted around the vehicle, coming to rest on the dashboard in front of the driver, and though the driver was struck in the face with broken glass, she was not injured, according to the statement.

A third motorist who witnessed the incident gave a statement to police corroborating the victim’s account.

Police located Ellis in a blue Toyota Corolla with the back window shattered on U.S. 61 near Perry County Road 908 and found an empty handgun under the passenger seat, according to the statement.

Questioned at the Perry County Sheriff’s Department, Ellis told police about passing the motor home several times and described how he “flipped out and the next thing he remembered was looking at his pistol laying on the front passenger floorboard, with its slide locked back. He said his ears were ringing and the glass was falling out of the car’s back glass,” according to the statement.

Ellis’ bond was set at $50,000 cash.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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