BILLINGS - Police have launched a homicide investigation following the death of a man injured in a road rage incident.
Police said in a press release the incident happened shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday. Officers responded to the 800 block of Radford Square West for reports of an assault that left a 55-year-old man with serious injuries who was receiving medical care from bystanders.
"I heard the tires squealing," said Jerry Hahn, who was the first on scene to give CPR to his neighbor. "And you just get that feeling. When I was back by that fence and my truck, I couldn't see down here and I heard thump. I knew something was just horrific."
The other person involved, a 17-year-old male, had left the scene before officers arrived but returned later.
The 55-year-old man was transported to a Billings hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
"He's a nice guy," Hahn said. "He's a good neighbor. That's about all I can say. It really breaks me up."
Police said investigators determined there was a physical altercation between the man and the teen in the roadway, which started as a road rage incident.
"One is on the ground and the other one looked like it was just, he was pounding the devil out of him," said Barbara Brazelton, who lives in the neighborhood.
A family member of the victim tells MTN the victim had yelled at the teen to slow down, which Hahn confirmed.
"He screamed at the driver, slow down," Hahn said. "But we scream at him all the time."
Hahn said he periodically sees the driver and the car wearing in and out of traffic on Main Street
The 17-year-old was cooperating with the investigation, the press release states. No arrest was immediately made and the incident remained under investigation Friday morning.
