UPDATE: Charges upgraded after Gulfport road rage victim dies

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder in the case of a Gulfport road rage shooting.

Rose Madge Madison, 34, was initially arrested on charges of aggravated assault on July 8 after shooting a male driver in the area of 41st Street and Searle Avenue.

On July 20, Gulfport police were informed the victim had died from his injuries, leading to the upgraded charges for Madison. The victim was originally airlifted to Mobile for treatment.

The road rage incident started at Three Rivers Road and Airport Road, according to police.

It started with an argument between the victim and the woman. After the argument, the woman followed the man to the area of 41st Street and Searle Avenue. Once the vehicles came to a stop, the woman shot the man multiple times.

The shooting happened just feet away from Gulfport Fire Department near the National Guard base. That’s less than two miles from the shooting on Wednesday that claimed the life of a 26-year-old man.

On August 4, 2021, Madison had her preliminary hearing where more information about that day was revealed during the investigator’s testimony.

According to Harrison County Prosecutor Herman Cox, she told police the victim threatened her with a gun when they had their initial argument. She then began following him and called police, giving his tag number and car description. Dispatch told her officers were on the way and told her not to follow, but she followed anyway, according to the testimony.

Investigators said she fired several shots from inside her car hitting his car, then the victim exited his vehicle, but she told police he did not have a gun. He then turned around and she said she thought he was going for the gun and started firing at him, striking him multiple times hitting him in the back, buttocks and behind his ear.

“It’s very frustrating for us because Gulfport is a beautiful city and a lot of this is senseless violence,” Sgt. Jason Ducre, Gulfport Police Department. “It just needs to stop. A lot of this can be talked out, worked out and we’re choosing to use different methods. It’s senseless.”

One resident told WLOX she heard five shots followed by the sound of sirens. Resident Michael Parmer describes his wife’s reaction.

“She came in and said, I wonder why they are shooting off fireworks at this hour,” said Parmer. “We left shortly thereafter, and as we pulled out, all of the police were here. None of the crime scene tape was out at that time.”

Following her preliminary hearing, her bond was reduced from $1 million to now $200,000.

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