FBI joins probe of I-81 slaying linked to road rage

The FBI has joined the investigation of a fatal Saturday shooting on Interstate 81 southwest of Harrisburg that state police say they believe resulted from road rage.

Timothy Davison, 28, of Maine, called 911 to report a road dispute and said the driver of a pickup was pursuing him and shooting at him as he crossed from Maryland into Pennsylvania on I-81, said Trooper Rob Hicks, a state police spokesman.

"There is mention of [a dispute] on the tape. I'm not sure what exactly transpired. It appears to be a random road-rage incident," said Hicks, who declined to elaborate about the 911 tape.

Police say they believe the pickup rammed Davison's car into a grassy median before the driver or a passenger shot him about 2:10 a.m Saturday. The shooting occurred about 10 miles north of Hagerstown, Md. Investigators were looking for a small pickup, perhaps a blue Ford Ranger, with damage to the front quarter panel or driver's-side door. Police said the pickup might have silver paint from Davison's 2001 Mitsubishi Montero and was headed south on I-81. No arrests had been made by Sunday afternoon.

Police were also trying to determine whether the episode was tied to one Friday night on a York County road about 30 miles away. A driver told police someone in a black pickup followed him recklessly about 6:45 p.m. and fired shots at his truck. A bullet hit the driver's headrest.

Davison was driving home to Poland, Maine, after seeing relatives in Florida over the holidays, police said. Relatives in Maine described him to the Portland Press Herald as a gentle person and gifted mechanic who worked for his father's construction business.

Davison's father told the paper his son had taken I-81 to avoid traffic on I-95. His first 911 call went to Maryland authorities but was dropped, perhaps as he crossed the state line, Hicks said. A second call went to Pennsylvania dispatchers.