Man fatally shot after collision

TEMPE — A passenger in an SUV was fatally shot after a collision with a car at an intersection during the Phoenix area’s Tuesday morning commute. But the incident apparently wasn’t random road rage, police said.

At least some of the people in two vehicles whose occupants were involved in the collision and the subsequent shooting knew each other and a chase of some sort preceded the collision, said Sgt. Michael Pooley, a police spokesman.

Pooley identified the man fatally wounded as Zachary Rodriguez, 21, of Tempe. Rodriguez was shot at least once in the head while in the SUV, Pooley said.

The 22-year-old driver of the car struck from behind by the SUV was in police custody but was not immediately booked into jail, Poole said.

“This isn’t a random type of deal. These guys knew each other. We don’t know the relationship. … We know there was some kind of relationship between the suspect and the victim and a female,” Pooley said, referring to a woman who was a passenger in the car.

After the shooting, a federal Department of Homeland Security agent driving through the intersection on his way to work, stopped, got out of his vehicle and disarmed the car’s driver, detaining him until police arrived.

“The suspect was very compliant,” Pooley said.