Father is shot dead near children

A North Carolina man faces multiple charges after authorities say he killed another driver during a weekend traffic incident and also shot the driver’s three children.

The road rage incident happened around 4:53 p.m. Saturday in Newton, about 45 miles northwest of Charlotte, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release published Saturday night.

Police were called to the scene and found a man shot. The man, later identified as 40-year-old Jeffery Michael Guida, was already dead when deputies arrived, the sheriff’s office said in the news release.

Witnesses told investigators that Guida and another man stopped and got out of their vehicles near the intersection.

Witnesses said the other man, later identified as 75-year-old Terrell Eugene Giddens, fired several shots into the victim’s vehicle during the altercation, where Guida’s three children were sitting. Guida’s children, aged 2, 11 and 13, were not injured.

Witnesses gave officers descriptions of the vehicles and men involved, which investigators used to find Giddens at a home in Sherrills Ford.

Giddens was charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, the sheriff’s office said. His first court appearance was scheduled for Monday, the sheriff’s office added.

Guida’s family also appeared in court on Monday but declined to talk, local television station WSOC-TV reported. Giddens, the alleged shooter, told the judge that his family would hire a lawyer for him, the news outlet reported.

The Catawba County Clerk’s Office told USA TODAY Wednesday morning that Giddens waived his right to a court-appointed attorney. It was not immediately clear who was representing him in court.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She’s from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at [email protected].