QUINCY, Mass. --
A road rage incident may have sparked a shooting in Quincy Saturday night that left a firefighter in critical condition, police said.
Joseph Fasano, 30, was shot once in the abdomen when he and another driver parked their vehicles on a ramp near Commander Shea Boulevard and Hancock Street and got out to exchange words at about midnight.
Fasano, a second-generation firefighter, has been with the Milton Fire Department since 2005.
Police believe Fasano, who was driving in a white SUV, may have been provoked by the driver he was following before he was shot. The other motorist, who was in a silver sports car, repeatedly tapped the brakes to irritate Fasano, police said, and at some point, the sports car stopped on the roadway.
Hell jam on the brakes, so now you have to jam on the brakes, said Quincy Police Lt. Jeffrey Burrell, describing a report of the incident. Then you go a little bit further -- jam on the brakes, then you have to jam on the brakes.
Fasano was shot with a single bullet shortly after he and the other driver exited their vehicles. The shooter, who remains at large, got back into the sports car and sped away after the incident.
While most instances of road rage dont escalate into life-threatening violence, Burrell said police have seen roadway aggravation on the rise recently.
I would say this is probably fairly common, said Burrell. This seems to be the way people drive now.
Neighbors, too, said theyve seen instances where emotions cloud common sense for drivers.
People are just not patient, said Deb Doucette. They just dont care about each other.
Police are still looking for any witnesses who may have been driving in the area at the time or noticed either of the vehicles involved.
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