JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The attorney representing the family of a man who was killed in a road rage incident is now calling for answers and an arrest.
They said Joe Starkey was unarmed and did not pose a threat when he was shot after an encounter with another driver on St. Johns Bluff Road.
Starkey and his wife were on their way home from dinner last week when, according to their attorney, John Phillips, a jeep started swerving into their lane and brake-checking them.
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Phillips said Starkey did not want to lead the driver to his home, so he pulled over, hoping the jeep would keep going, but it didn’t.
“My husband got out of the car because he did not want him following us to our house,” Joe’s wife, Tina Starkey, said.
Starkey tried to speak with that driver, and his attorney said at no point did he threaten him or use any force.
“Joe didn’t have anything threatening,” Phillips said. “No conversation, no threats, no nothing. Killed him in cold blood.”
Police said the alleged shooter turned himself in.
Phillips said he believes it’s being investigated as a stand-your-ground case.
“You can’t be the aggressor and have stand your ground,” Phillips said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it is an active homicide investigation.
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As the family continues to seek justice, Starkey’s son had this message for the driver who killed his dad.
“You were so scared of him that you felt the need that you had to shoot him,” Joe’s son Damien Starkey said. “You could have driven away, you were pulled up behind him, and you chose not to.”
The family is urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
“I just want to get to the bottom of this and make sure he gets the justice he deserves,” Damien said.
There will be a memorial service for Joe on Saturday at 2 p.m. It will be held at the Hidden Hills Country Club.
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