Road rage incident leads to drivers shooting each other to death — one in front of his young children, police say

California police said two motorists shot each other to death after a Saturday road rage incident in Highland.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that deputies responded to reports of shots fired just before 8 p.m. When they arrived at the scene, they found two men with gunshot wounds, and they transported them to a hospital, where they were both declared dead.

'This is a great example of how things can go so wrong so quickly.'

Investigators said the two deaths were a result of a road rage incident stemming from a hit-and-run.

Jonathan McConnell, 38, was riding a motorcycle on the 215 highway when he collided with a sedan 37-year-old Aaron Harris was driving, according to police. McConnell, who was splitting lanes at the time, sped away from Harris, who followed him.

Harris' two young children — ages 2 and 5 — were in his car.

McConnell rode his motorcycle off of the freeway and into the parking lot of a business park where he met several people he knew in front of Joy's Lounge.

Harris yelled threats at McConnell and fired at McConnell, who approached Harris. McConnell also fired at Harris.

Police said the children were unharmed, but a bystander was shot in the hand during the exchange.

"It could have been so incredibly simple, but unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead," said Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson with the sheriff's department.

"These days there's so much traffic out there and so many things going on," she added, "but this is a great example of how things can go so wrong so quickly."

San Bernardino is the largest county in the contiguous U.S. by total surface area.

The video news report about the incident can be watched on KABC-TV's YouTube account.

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