In what began as a minor vehicle collision during the evening rush hour, a life was tragically cut short in a fatal road-rage shooting. On June 5, 2017, 32-year-old Chris Ervin, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was killed on Interstate 285 near Decatur. An African American male, Ervin would have turned 33 the following month. The incident unfolded after Ervin's Lexus was struck from behind by a pickup truck driven by 39-year-old Johnnie Hudson of Decatur.
Following the collision, Ervin exited
his vehicle and approached Hudson's truck. It was at this point that Hudson, while still inside his vehicle, fired a weapon, striking Ervin in the upper torso. The investigation later confirmed that Ervin was unarmed at the time of the shooting. An officer arriving at the scene discovered Ervin's body lying next to the front tire of the pickup truck. The driver's side window of the truck was shattered, with a. 40-caliber shell casing found amongst the broken glass.
Johnnie Hudson was immediately taken into custody at the scene after he admitted to the shooting and reportedly asked a witness to call 911. He was subsequently charged with murder. Hudson was later released on a $75,000 bond. The case was classified as a road-rage murder, drawing attention to the potential for deadly escalation in traffic disputes. Chris Ervin, a professional truck driver and a father of three, was remembered by his family as the life of the party, always ready with a smile and a laugh. His funeral service was held on June 16, 2017, at True Love Christian Ministries in Lithonia.
