Man Shoots Mother and Son in Violent Road Rage Incident

A Virginia man has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms, plus 19 additional years in prison, after a terrifying road rage incident in 2024 left a mother and her teenage son seriously injured.

Joseph Adams, 45, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and several other charges related to the shooting, which took place in James City County. According to police, Adams fired multiple rounds into another vehicle during an apparent road rage episode, injuring two of the three people inside.

The attack happened on October 5, 2024, at the intersection of Centerville Road and Monticello Avenue. Police say the victims’ vehicle was making a turn when Adams, driving a red Toyota Solara, opened fire while passing them. He then fled the scene.

Inside the targeted vehicle was Molly Haskin, her teenage son, and a third passenger who was not physically harmed. Haskin was shot in the face and suffered life-threatening injuries. Her son was struck three times in both arms. In court, he recalled the pain of being shot and the horror of seeing his mother’s face covered in blood.

After the shooting, Adams fled the area by boarding the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry headed toward Surry County. Authorities, alerted to his escape, held the ferry at the dock once it arrived, and Adams was taken into custody without incident.

The James City County Police Department confirmed in a statement that Adams faced a total of 24 charges. In addition to the two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, the charges included multiple firearms violations such as brandishing a weapon, reckless handling of a firearm, and shooting from a vehicle. He had also been initially charged with driving under the influence.

During his sentencing, Adams offered an apology to the victims. His attorney described him as a “functioning alcoholic” struggling with mental illness and substance abuse, and had asked the court for leniency. But the judge ultimately handed down the maximum sentence: two life terms plus nearly two decades more.

In court, Haskin described the terrifying moment of the attack and how, while being airlifted to a hospital in Richmond, she told herself over and over, “I will not die.”

Adams remains in custody at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. His sentence reflects the severity of the trauma inflicted and the danger of gun violence stemming from a moment of rage on the road.