A dispute that began on Interstate 20 on a Halloween afternoon escalated into a fatal shooting in a DeKalb County parking lot, claiming the life of 25-year-old Darryl Wiley. The incident, which unfolded on October 31, 2022, was the tragic culmination of a road rage encounter that ended in a hail of bullets on Gresham Road. Wiley, a male, was accompanied by his girlfriend and her three-year-old daughter at the time of the deadly confrontation.
The altercation started as an angry exchange
between Wiley and another driver, identified as 59-year-old Eric Simmons. According to Wiley's girlfriend, Simmons pursued their vehicle into a nearby parking lot. There, Simmons allegedly exited his car and opened fire, shooting Wiley multiple times. The young girl in the vehicle was not directly hit by the gunfire but sustained injuries from shattered glass. Emergency services were called to the scene, but Wiley was pronounced dead from his wounds.
In the days following the shooting, law enforcement identified and apprehended Eric Simmons as the primary suspect. He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder and aggravated assault in connection with the fatal road rage incident. The arrest brought a small measure of relief to a community shaken by the senseless violence that had unfolded. Eyewitnesses at a nearby liquor store and a barbecue restaurant recounted hearing the gunshots and the harrowing screams of Wiley's girlfriend in the immediate aftermath. A memorial of flowers later marked the spot where Darryl Wiley tragically lost his life.
