Young Dad Slain While Holding Baby
 

Young Dad Slain While Holding Baby After Apparent Road Rage
Baby Covered In Blood After Father Shot To Death


POSTED: 12:30 pm EDT August 4, 2005


BROCKTON, Mass. -- A man lifting his infant daughter out of his car was killed in an apparent case of road rage by a motorist "who obviously exploded" and shot him four times at close range in front of dozens of
witnesses, authorities said.


The victim's 10-month-old girl was covered with blood but uninjured when police found her in a car seat on the floor of the vehicle.


Walter R. Bishop, 60, who was taking medication for depression, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Sandro Andrade. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail; a hearing was scheduled for Aug. 26.

Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said Bishop had made a calculated decision to "shoot a man in cold blood in broad daylight on the streets of Brockton."


Police Chief Paul Studenski described it as a case of road rage.


Bishop's attorney, Kevin Reddington, said Andrade had provoked his client during a traffic altercation.

"We have a homicide that resulted from a circumstance where somebody picked a fight with an individual who obviously exploded," Reddington said. Bishop, a former soldier and security guard, had recently begun
taking two medications for depression, he said.

Bishop told investigators he was driving his wife to the train station when Andrade's vehicle backed toward him on Main Street, Cruz said. The two exchanged heated words.


"He said his wife was scared, and he said he was angry at that encounter," Cruz said of Bishop. "He said he made up his mind right there that he had to do something."


After dropping his wife off, he allegedly returned to the scene of the confrontation, pointed a handgun through an open window and fired, police said.


"Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Four shots. It sounded like a cap gun," Louis McPhee, the manager of a car wash across the street, told The Boston Globe. "The guy was lying there in his own blood with a hole in his head and his arm still on the baby."

Bishop left before police arrived, but witnesses gave investigators his license plate number and police found him at his home.


Police said Bishop has a valid handgun license.

damn, i read about this yesterday.

dude just walked up on him after dropping off his wife.

Not to disparage a dead man, but what kind of reckless person would "exchange heated words" in this day and age with an infant in the car?!? That is totally irresponsible but, of course, no excuse for what happened.

Also, I don't think the fact that the alleged murderer is taking anti-depressants is relevant to the story and should have been left out.

that kind of thing happens road rage.

the use of anti-depressants might give a clue as to the old man's mental state.

This was the second road rage incident like this to happen in Massachusetts in the past couple of weeks. I think the most insane part is that he dropped off his wife, then came back to ram the guy's car and shoot him.

One part that was also mentioned in the papers here was that the assailant carries an oxygen tank and has severe respiratory problems. Again, I don't see how that's all that relevant, but from his attorney's quotes it seems like they're going to make his medicated state part of the defense.

Luckily the baby was ok (physically).