He opened fire in a fit of road rage and killed a man, cops say. He’s in more trouble.
A Gautier man accused in a deadly road rage incident is facing new felony charges.
Luis Ruiz Soto Jr., 28, was in an orange jail jumpsuit with his hands shackled and a sneer on his face when he was in court Tuesday.
Soto was there for arraignment on charges of second-degree murder, shooting a motor vehicle and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with Jan. 25 incident that left Leland Sumrall dead.
Pascagoula police began an investigation after a driver called to report someone was shooting at their vehicle on Jerry St. Pe’ Highway near Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Police dispatchers got a call about other shots fired as officers headed to the scene.
Sumrall crashed after he was shot multiple times. He died within an hour at a nearby hospital.
Though shots were fired at a second motorist, no other injuries occurred.
Authorities at the time described the shooting as a road rage incident.
According to court papers, Soto was armed with a .9 mm handgun.
Pascagoula police initially arrested Soto on a murder and assault charge, and a Jackson County grand jury indicted him on the additional charges.
Soto waived his arraignment and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Judge Dale Harkey set an Oct. 1 trial date.
Soto’s bond, initially set at a total of $1 million, was reduced to a total of $200,000.
This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 5:00 AM.