Pennsylvania State Police said for the first time Sunday that the fatal shooting of a Maine man along Interstate 81 early Saturday was a random act of road rage.
Meanwhile, family members of the slain man, Timothy "Asti" Davison of Poland, described him as a gentle person and said they can make no sense of the tragedy.
Davison, 28, was shot about 2 a.m. Saturday after someone driving a small pickup truck forced his silver sport utility vehicle onto the median strip of the highway in Antrim Township, about three miles from the Maryland border. Davison was traveling home to Maine from Florida.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called in to help police find the gunman, who remained at large Sunday afternoon.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Rob Hicks said investigators are looking for a possible connection to another shooting involving a pickup truck Friday evening in Monaghan Township, Pa., about 30 miles from the shooting in Antrim Township.
Davison had called 911 several times to report that someone in a small pickup truck was shooting at him. His SUV was rammed off the road by the pickup and became disabled, and then someone from the pickup approached Davison's vehicle and fired several shots at him, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Davison died shortly after at York Hospital.
Davison's mother, Theresa Allocca of Poland Spring, said Sunday she hopes his killer is found.
"I just hope this doesn't happen to anyone else. This wasn't just road rage. This person is obviously crazy," Allocca said.
She said her son's Facebook page is filled with tributes from friends.
"Overall the best way to describe him is a caring and very generous person whom everyone loved. He had a very positive attitude about living life in the present. He was a hard worker who would give the shirt off his back for anyone in need," she said.
Davison's stepfather, Scott Allocca, said: "He was outgoing and very peaceful and wanted nothing more than everyone to be at peace and the world to be at peace, and this is how it ends."
Davison, a graduate Poland Regional High School, was driving back from the Orlando, Fla., area, where he had visited his sister during the holidays. His father, Timothy Davison of Raymond, said his son took Interstate 81 to avoid traffic on Interstate 95.
Hicks said Sunday that the Pennsylvania State Police have definitively labeled the incident a random act of road rage.
"At this point in time we cannot find anything that appears the victim and suspect knew each other," he told the Press Herald.
Hicks said no witness had come forward as of Sunday afternoon. He would not say how many shots were fired during the incident or what type of firearm was used.
Hicks also would not disclose what Davison said on the emergency calls, one of which was received by the Washington County emergency call center while Davison was still in Maryland. That call was dropped when Davison crossed into Pennsylvania. He made another 911 call, which was picked up by Pennsylvania State Police.
"We don't want to get into those types of details yet," said Hicks.
Hicks told The Associated Press that Davison reported some sort of problem, such as one driver braking suddenly or cutting someone off, and said a gunman inside the pickup was now shooting at him.
Hicks said a traffic camera caught part of the road rage incident on video but it was too dark to be useful.
"You really can't make out much other than headlights," said Hicks.
He said that based on Davison's calls, investigators are looking for a small pickup truck, such as a Ford Ranger, with damage to the driver's side and front quarter panel where the vehicle rammed Davison's SUV. Silver paint from the SUV may have been transferred to the pickup, which is believed to have fled south, Hicks said.
Hicks said road-rage incidents are rare in the area.
"This is not a common occurrence," he said.
An autopsy on Davison's body is scheduled for Monday, Hicks said.
Davison's family said he was an outdoorsman and gifted mechanic who was rebuilding an antique vehicle.
"He loved to do things outdoors. He loved to fish and snowmobile and go four-wheeling," said an uncle, James Allocca of Gorham.
Davison, whose nickname, "Asti," came from his middle name, Austin, worked at his father's business, Engineered Construction Services in Raymond.
Theresa Allocca said her son was tall and athletic, played disc golf, and enjoyed mudding and canoeing.
He taught snowboarding at the Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry as a high school freshman and spent summers as a greenskeeper at Poland Spring Resort.
Allocca said she hadn't heard from investigators on the case on Sunday.
Copyright 2014 - Portland Press Herald, Maine
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
