A man who works as a high school administrator is accused of intentionally hitting a cyclist with his SUV in a national park in Tennessee, and then fleeing the scene. A friend of the cyclist had a GoPro camera on his helmet and shared a video of the incident on Facebook. After that, the police were able to track down the driver, Marshall Grant Neely III.

On Sunday night, Neely, 58, was arrested on charges of felony reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to immediately notify of an accident, and failure to render aid.

He was released after posting an $11,500 bail, but could still face additional federal charges. Park rangers will meet with the United States Attorney’s office this week to discuss any further charges.

The chilling footage from the incident shows two cyclists biking through the Natchez Trace Parkway. The road the two were cycling is a designated bicycle route, and bikes are legally allowed to use the whole lane when necessary. In the opening seconds of the video, a white truck passes the cyclists without incident.

Soon after, a black Volvo SUV comes up from behind and hits 23-year-old cyclist Tyler Noe, who is slightly further ahead of his friend, Greg Goodman.

But the video makes it pretty obvious that the car hit him on purpose, as there were no other cars or people in sight. Neely also did not stop to check on Noe. Luckily, Noe was not seriously injured, and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Noe got up on his feet after tumbling off of the bike.

“A black Volvo passing the bicyclists struck Noe causing serious but non-life threatening injuries. The Volvo’s driver failed to stop and left the scene,” said a press release from Natchez Trace Parkway officials.

NEW: According to arrest report, Marshall Neely claimed “a man & a woman were standing in the road & threw the bicycle at his car.” @WKRN pic.twitter.com/mZKopldryE

— Josh Breslow (@JoshBreslowWKRN) July 10, 2017

According to Goodman, a witness told him that the same Volvo SUV had tried to hit someone a week earlier as well. According to the police report, Neely claimed that a man and a woman had been standing in the road and had thrown a bicycle at his car.

Neely has worked with children since 1995. Until the accident, he served as dean of students at the University School of Nashville, a K-12 private school. The school also has a mountain biking team. Neely is the father of two USN alumni, and also reportedly has a degree in law.

Neely’s profile has been deleted from the school’s website since the incident, but the school wrote on its Facebook page that he has been placed on a leave of absence while the investigation is ongoing.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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When NFL player Joe McKnight was shot to death in an apparent case of road rage last Thursday, the suspect was not charged immediately, despite reportedly telling the police officers that he was the shooter. The incident caused an uproar; many drew parallels between McKnight’s shooter–a white man–and the numerous instances of white police officers or individuals killing black people. On Tuesday, almost a week later, Sheriff Newell Normand announced that he had charged Ronald Gasser with with manslaughter. He also defended the delayed arrest, explaining that the police wanted to wait until they found reliable witnesses before moving forward.

Sheriff Normand held a news conference on Tuesday in Louisiana to explain the circumstances of Gasser’s arrest. Gasser is a 54-year-old white man who had an altercation with McKnight on a bridge while they were both driving. The two men kept racing each other and shouting, driving into a New Orleans suburb, until they both came to a stop. McKnight allegedly exited his car and walked up to Gasser, who took out his gun and shot the 28-year-old football player three times. He confessed immediately when police arrived at the scene, but initially told officers that he feared for his life and that the shooting was an act of self defense. Gasser was taken into custody but released after hours of questioning.

the craziest thing about the mcknight case is it’s being treated as if the outcome should be in any sort of doubt.

— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) December 6, 2016

When he announced the arrest at the news conference on Tuesday, Sheriff Normand seemed agitated and defensive, slamming his fists on the podium repeatedly and emphasizing that the department had done nothing wrong. “This isn’t about race. Not a single witness has said… a single racial slur was uttered,” he said. Despite the lack of racial slurs, the incident could have easily been about race. But at this point, the evidence does point to a case of plain road rage.

Says they didn’t charge Gasser Thursday night bc not enough evidence & he was cooperating without atty. Got consent to search Gasser’s home.

— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) December 6, 2016

The sheriff read aloud some of the racist and foul-mouthed verbal attacks that he, other officers, and lawmakers have received on social media and via email for not dealing with the case fast enough. He read a few out loud that were offensive enough that MSNBC cut away from the live broadcast and apologized for the language. The sheriff said that had they made an arrest right away, witnesses might have been hesitant to come forward. They’ve now found 250 possible witnesses based on license plates placed in the surrounding area.

Gasser’s temperament is certainly at issue–he had a similar fight with another man ten years ago at the exact same intersection. In 2006, he was driving a truck, when a fellow motorist called a number printed on the side of the truck to say that the driver was driving erratically. The number actually went to Gasser’s phone. The two men got into a fight over the phone and Gasser followed the man to a gas station where he confronted him and beat him up. The only consequence for Gasser was a misdemeanor summons that was later dismissed.

McKnight played three seasons for the New York Jets and one for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jets held a moment of silence in his honor on Monday night before playing a game in New York.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Man Who Allegedly Killed NFL Player Joe McKnight Charged with Manslaughter appeared first on Law Street.

George Zimmerman is in the news again after suffering minor injuries in a road rage incident Monday that ended with a shooting. This marks yet another in a long series of run-ins with the law for the former neighborhood watchman since his fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.

According to CNN, accounts detailing exactly what happened Monday afternoon in Lake May, Florida between Zimmerman and the shooter, Matthew Apperson, differ depending on who you talk to. It’s hard to know which story to believe, especially when both men have a history of confrontations with one another.

Zimmerman’s attorney Don West claims that his client was flagged down by Apperman honking and yelling obscenities at him. When he recognized Apperman, he rolled up his windows and tried to get away, but was followed. That’s when Apperman reportedly pulled up to Zimmerman’s pickup truck window and shot a bullet through it–barely missing his head. Zimmerman was apparently hit by glass from the window, but not the bullet, and only suffered minor injuries.

Man involved in shooting with George Zimmerman acted in “self-defense,” lawyer says http://t.co/vuMHStFkb4 pic.twitter.com/XqBKUUd7Q1

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 12, 2015

Apperman’s account of what happened is much different. His lawyer claims that his client acted entirely out of self-defense after Zimmerman waved a gun at him first. After shooting through the window he apparently asked a bystander to phone the police for him. This is hardly the first time Zimmerman has been involved in an incident requiring police intervention. So far Zimmerman has amassed a collection of six mugshots, and the reasons for his arrests include shoving an undercover alcohol-control agent, threatening his girlfriend with a shotgun, and throwing a wine bottle at his ex-girlfriend’s head. 

George Zimmerman Mugshot Calendar? http://t.co/mCqOtuQH57 @BlueNationRev It could happen #GeorgeZimmerman #BNRNews pic.twitter.com/Q3aLHjD5OJ — Jill E Bond (@JillEBond) January 13, 2015

When Twitter got word of Zimmerman’s latest police involvement, the reactions to the possibility of him getting shot were unsympathetic at best.

I wish George Zimmerman was shot in his eyes & went blind. Then he couldn’t judge anyone on their color.

— Gary Owen (@garyowencomedy) May 12, 2015

Does anyone know who shot at Zimmerman yet? Was he arrested? Is there a bail fund? Can we throw him a parade? — Cassandra (@CassandraRules) May 12, 2015

George Zimmerman: “I got shot!” Black people: pic.twitter.com/gNBVhH7uSt

— Alex English (@alex3nglish) May 11, 2015

Zimmerman is clearly hurting when it comes to supporters. So far it seems like most people are speculating that the confrontation which led to the incident stemmed from a dispute about the Trayvon Martin case, but neither party wants to fess up. Lake Mary police are continuing to investigate the incident, but as of now neither man has been arrested or charged with any crime.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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