A Brevard County man who shot into an SUV carrying a couple and three children during a road rage incident last year, leaving the vehicle with nine bullet holes, was sentenced to six years in prison as part of a plea deal.
Chad Morrow, 46, of Cocoa, will also serve nine years on probation and pay $1,000 in compensation to one of the victims. He received credit for 37 days served.
Morrow pleaded no contest and was found guilty of shooting into a car, a second-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, as part of the plea deal.
Morrow was originally charged with two charges of attempted first-degree murder, each carrying a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. The charges were lowered as a result of the plea deal.
Circuit Judge Karen Foxman presided over the sentencing at a hearing held Wednesday at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand.
The road rage incident occurred just over a year ago, on May 25, 2024, on State 46 near Mims. The woman’s boyfriend was in the SUV’s passenger seat, while her three children, ages six, four, and eighteen months, were in the back. They were heading east on State Road 46.
The woman informed Volusia authorities that a black Dodge pickup truck pulling a boat began tailgating them.
The woman driving the SUV told authorities that the truck overtook them, forcing them halfway off the road before coming to a stop in front of them near 9437 S.R. 46.
Morrow was driving the pickup. Morrow exited and fired several shots at the SUV, according to the report.
Deputies found that the rounds were meant at the GMC’s passenger, and only the engine block stopped him from being wounded, according to the report. The pair dived beneath the dashboard to avoid being shot.
Morrow then got back into his pickup and fled the scene.
The victims called 911 and followed the truck as it entered Brevard County, where sheriff’s officials detained Morrow and another man.
According to a previous News-Journal piece, Morrow has faced over two dozen charges in Brevard County since 2000, the majority of which have been misdemeanour driving offences. He was convicted of driving under the influence in 2017 and driving on a pavement in 2008.
Chad McAninch, 53, from Port St. John, was a passenger in Morrow’s pickup. McAninch was arrested for attempted murder and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The State Attorney’s Office later declined to press charges against McAninch.
According to the report, the woman driving the SUV claimed that Morrow and McAninch were both armed. According to the report, her partner claimed that two males emerged from the truck brandishing pistols.
However, McAninch denied “owning, possessing, handling, or shooting a firearm,” according to the report, and said he had no idea how the GMC had “sustained gunshots.”
McAninch reported that while the SUV was ahead of the vehicle, the passenger was hanging out the window, yelling and throwing beer bottles and oil cans at it.
McAninch did not discharge or possess a firearm during the event, according to an application for bond submitted by his defence counsel, Neal T. McShane, in Orlando on June 24, 2024.
The attorney also stated that McAninch cooperated with law authorities and was unaware that Morrow was about to shoot at the SUV.
