ROUND ROCK, Texas — More than three years after a road rage shootout in Round Rock, a Killeen man has been sentenced for his role in the incident.
Esteban Rivera IV was convicted of endangering a child and deadly conduct in the shooting that started as a minor crash on Entrada Way in March 2021. Rivera will spend a year in prison followed by five years of probation.
Rivera was driving when a minor crash involving three vehicles happened at a stop light. The crash caused no apparent damage to anyone or any vehicle, and a Toyota involved attempted to flee the scene.
Rivera then chased the Toyota into the Sendero Springs neighborhood, blocking the road after the Toyota tried to turn around in a cul-de-sac. Rivera then got out of his vehicle with a handgun in each hand, which led to a gunfight between him and a passenger in the Toyota.
During the shooting, Rivera's three young children and his wife were in his vehicle. Luckily, no one was hurt in the incident.
Court documents state that 10 shell casings were found in the street and eight were found in Rivera's car after he tried shooting through his windshield and side window. Despite the vehicle leaving the area, Rivera continued to shoot, hitting a house in the neighborhood.
The affidavit stated Rivera had no regard for pedestrians in the area who were walking by as the shooting happened.
Justin Lee Chambers of Georgetown and Jacob Chambers of Del Rio were also arrested for their roles in the shooting. The brothers were sentenced in 2021 and 2022.
Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said road rage incidents won't be tolerated, and he wanted to send a message to people going forward.
"Don't put other people's lives at risk by the actions that you take," Dick said. "And I think the jury saw all of [Rivera's] actions and saw the way that he really became the aggressor in this incident."
Dick said the actions of all three people involved are unacceptable.
"They both fled the scene and engaged with each other instead of staying at the scene and sharing their information with all the drivers and having the police come out and document it," Dick said. "We want to eliminate it from our community. We'll be on the lookout for it. And we will continue to prosecute people who commit acts of road rage."
Dick said after the pandemic, the county saw an uptick in road rage incidents that spanned nearly a year. And although it has since calmed down, violent crime is still going up.
"This is a place where people love to live, work and play, and they should be able to do so. Free from worrying about people having gun battles on their streets," Dick said.
Recent analysis shows Texas leads the nation in road rage gun incidents over the past 10 years. Texas saw 741 incidents that led to 530 total shootings between 2014 and 2023. In Texas, Houston ranked highest in the nation for gunfire on roadways, while San Antonio tied with Memphis for No. 2 on the list.
Austin reportedly had 39 total incidents in that span, resulting in 20 shootings where 24 people were hurt.