KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — What started as a road trip home from a family vacation, quickly took a turn. Ashley and Patrick King were traveling home to Georgia with their one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. While riding along Interstate-75, Ashley said she noticed a driver behind her.
“This guy came up behind us, started flashing their lights, honking their horn, riding my tail, swerving in and out of traffic,” she said.
Police said it was a sign of road rage. Something both Ashley and Patrick did not expect to be a part of on their trip back home.
“We never thought this is something that would happen to us,” Ashley said.
As she was trying to get away from the driver, who was later identified as 54-year-old Tyrome Ferguson, Ashley said that’s when things got out of hand.
“Next thing I know, when we were in front of him, he just came around us and unloaded a gun,” she said.
Ferguson shot multiple times into their vehicle. The bullets missed the children, but Patrick was shot in the chest.
“I hear my husband screaming, ‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot, check the kids make sure they’re okay, I’ve been shot,’” Ashley said.
Now Patrick is working to gain his strength back.
“I can’t put on a shirt without my wife’s help now because I can’t lift my arm above my head. I can’t put socks on my feet because I can’t bend my torso, it hurts,” he said.
What Patrick experienced, he said will take far longer to recover from.
“My question is why after someone is already hit with the first initial one (bullet), why continue to try and take out my family? My family almost lost me, but I almost lost my family,” he said.
With that in mind, the King’s only hope that others will think twice while on the roads.
“Just get away, do what you have to do,” Ashley said. “Staying in your lane and maintaining your speed is just not enough for people.”
The family has a GoFundMe, as they are accepting donations for the unexpected hospital expenses.
