Two men are dead in Ionia, Michigan after a road rage incident escalated into a shootout Wednesday. Police say that James Pullum, 43, and Robert Taylor, 56 apparently argued after Taylor became enraged over something that occurred while driving though the details are not clear as to exactly what precipitated the incident.
Witnesses say that Pullum who had his wife and mother in the vehicle with him pulled into the parking lot of a car wash and Taylor who was at the time tailgating him followed him in. Both men exited their vehicles and began to argue as the argument escalated, Taylor pulled his gun and began to fire. Pullum, who was also carrying a gun, drew his and returned fire. Both men apparently died at the scene.
Pullums mother-in-law says that her son-in-law was protecting his family and that he was a “great person, a great family man and a great businessman.” He owned a service station in Ionia. Other details are vague and police say they are having difficulty piecing together what happened since both men are dead. They also said that both men had concealed carry permits and were legally carrying their weapons.
While it may be true — as the NRA says — that a good man with a gun can stop a bad man with a gun, they fail to mention that both may die in the process.