On Sunday, May 18, 2025, a violent road rage encounter in Columbia, Missouri, ended with the death of 32-year-old Derek Gonzalez. Earlier that afternoon Gonzalez, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and truck driver, was involved in a traffic dispute on Grindstone Parkway and later pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot on Nifong Boulevard around 12:30 p.m. Both vehicles stopped there and the confrontation escalated.

Investigators report Gonzalez approached a van driven by Ryan Woods, punched the driver’s side window and was brandishing a firearm. Woods fired a warning shot; Gonzalez reportedly returned fire, striking a female passenger. Woods then fired again, fatally wounding Gonzalez. Gonzalez was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead; the passenger was hospitalized and listed in stable condition. Woods was detained at the scene and released pending further investigation.

Are there witnesses who saw the incident in the McDonald’s lot or who can identify the sequence of shots?