Man convinced he’s being followed on highway kills innocent driver, Tennessee cops say

A driver killed in the dark along Interstate 40 was mistakenly targeted by a man who believed he was being followed, according to investigators in Middle Tennessee.

Turns out 43-year-old Randy Brooks II shot an innocent driver, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a Jan. 30 news release.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, when Brooks’ Honda Odyssey minivan jockeyed through traffic to overtake a Crown Victoria driven by Uriel Miller, 26, of Tennessee, police said.

“Dash cam video from a tractor-trailer rig shows the minivan ... abruptly changes lanes in front of the truck and pulls up alongside Miller’s car on the passenger side,” police said.

“It is then that detectives believe the shots were fired. Miller ... died at the scene after his car came to rest along the retaining wall between the east and west interstate travel lanes.”

Miller was found in the driver’s seat, with a single gunshot wound to his shoulder, police said in a Jan. 12 news release.

“The front passenger window appeared to have been shot out. The rear driver’s side window also had a bullet defect,” officials said.

Images of the minivan were shared by the police department on Jan. 28, and a Crime Stoppers tip about the driver’s identity was received soon after.

“It appears that Brooks believed a car like the one Miller drove had been following him,” police said. “It is presently believed that Brooks mistook Miller’s vehicle for another and opened fire.”

Brooks was arrested and charged with criminal homicide and “is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond.” A van matching the one seen in the dash cam video was found at his home, police said.

This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 10:03 AM with the headline "Man convinced he’s being followed on highway kills innocent driver, Tennessee cops say."