GORST — A 26-year-old man pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Wednesday in connection with a road-rage shooting Monday in Washington.
Mark Keith Smith of Burien was initially charged with assault in Kitsap County Superior Court after the confrontation west of Seattle in Gorst. Prosecutors filed a second-degree murder charge against Smith on Wednesday after 68-year-old Patrick Weems died at a hospital. Smith pleaded not guilty Wednesday, and his bail remains set at $1 million, The Kitsap Sun reported.
Efforts to reach a lawyer for Smith weren’t immediately successful. Smith is claiming self-defense, KING-TV reported.
Washington State Patrol officials say the shooting stemmed from interactions between the men while driving on Interstate 5 before both exited onto state Route 16.