4-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead By Angry Driver

A 4-year-old girl is dead after an armed suspect in another car pulled up to her family's truck and shot her in the head. Authorities in Albuquerque, NM, where the shooting occurred on Tuesday, say they are still looking for the killer. So far, they've found nothing to explain the driver's violent act — nothing other than "road rage." "This is one of those crimes which is unexplainable. It's 100% preventable. It did not have to happen," Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden told reporters. Eden confirmed that the girl has passed away, but released no other information. Another officer explained that the shooting happened while both cars were in motion. The girl's parents weren't hurt. The psychiatric community does not recognize road rage as a distinct medical disorder. According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), road rage can be a symptom of intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a condition that may affect up to 16 million adult Americans. For an NIMH article titled "Road Rage: What's Driving It?" Randy Sansone, M.D, and Lori Sansone, M.D., explained that the state "may be described as a constellation of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that occur in response to a perceived unjustified provocation while driving." Between 1990 and 1996, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety identified 218 deaths and 12,610 injuries linked to road rage. Separately from incidents of road rage, Everytown for Gun Safety reports that seven kids or teens are killed as a result of gun violence every day. "We need to rise up as a community and say enough is enough," Eden said. Reporters at the scene said that Eden appeared frustrated, but did not reveal whether his comments referred to incidents of road rage exclusively, or to a broader trend of preventable deaths, like those that result from gun violence. A witness who spoke with NBC news said the suspect's car may have been a red sedan. Around noon on Wednesday, the Albuquerque police tweeted its search for a red or maroon "newer model Toyota car" bearing University of New Mexico plates and a spoiler.

Eden said authorities are "begging" for additional information related to the investigation.