Road Rage Shooting of Uber Driver Outside Palazzo Leaves Many Blaming F1 in Las Vegas

_{Road rage turns fatal near the Palazzo as frustrations grow over  F1 congestion. (Image: dpa picture alliance / Alamy)}

An Uber driver was shot and killed at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Palazzo Drive after approaching another car on Monday afternoon in an incident that seemed to develop over a quarter mile.

The incident has shined a light on the increased traffic caused by the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the F1 race event that took place in the city last weekend, and which some locals blame for road rage incidents such as the shooting outside the Palazzo.

Police See Rise in Road Rage Shootings

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the driver, in his 50s, got out of his car while carrying two passengers. He then walked up to a second card and began banging on the window. That’s when the suspect, a woman in her 20s, allegedly shot the as yet unnamed Uber driver.

Police say that the victim was also carrying a gun and pulled it out, but didn’t fire his weapon.

The suspect fled the scene following the shooting. However, police were called to the scene at 4:04 pm on Monday and were then able to track the license plate of her car, later arresting the suspect.

Police acknowledged that between road construction and increased traffic, there had been a recent increase in road rage-related incidents, including shootings.

“Everyone be patient; none of this is worth your life,” Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson told reporters on Monday night.

Locals Debate: Is F1 at Fault?

The shooting has led to heated debate on social media. While there seems to be no question about the road rage component of the shooting, the root causes of that are far more controversial, as some commentators are placing the blame squarely on the F1 presence in Las Vegas.

Others were sharing their frustrations with F1 over the past day, as several local streets were still in the process of clearing race track barriers.

“F1 needs to leave Las Vegas! I’ve been in this spot for 45 minutes." A user named Rodolfo Camacho posted in a Caesars Entertainment Employees group on Facebook on Tuesday morning, showing a scene from the Linq and Harrah’s employee parking garage. “This is so ridiculous!”

However, others were quick to note that F1 isn’t the only cause of traffic and construction in Las Vegas, and that this delay was likely being caused by police presence in the area investigating fatal shooting. 

And even if the Las Vegas Grand Prix did lead to some road rage incidents, there has been no indication from police or any other sources that it was related to Monday’s shooting.

“This is an absolutely awful take. Construction-related traffic is a valley-wide issue,” Nathan Scott said in a reply to the Vital Vegas post. 

“They also put out notices that there was going to be heavy traffic in the area... those people willingly put themselves in that spot, for better or worse.”

The F1 debate goes far beyond road rage, however. 

While many small businesses in the area agree with locals who say the race is bad for them, VIPs and the major resorts see major benefits from the global popularity of F1 and the high-end crowds that follow the circuit.

Mercedes driver George Russell won the Las Vegas Grand Prix early Sunday morning, finishing ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured first place overall in the F1 driver standings this season after finishing 5^th in Las Vegas.