Inset: Edsel Robert Johnson (Kootenai County Sheriff's Office). Background: Authorities responding to the scene where Johnson allegedly killed a man in Idaho (KXLY).
A 32-year-old DoorDash driver in Idaho is accused of killing a man, allegedly shooting him in front of thousands of witnesses — including the victim's wife — after becoming impatient with the crowd while trying to deliver baby formula during a lantern festival.
Edsel Robert Johnson was taken into custody and charged with one count each of first-degree murder, reckless driving, and battery in the slaying of Bradley Allen Rex, court records show.
The shooting occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday at the Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, where a crowd had gathered for the Night Lights Sky Lantern Festival, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Spokane, Washington, ABC affiliate KXLY.
Johnson reportedly called 911 himself to report the shooting, telling the dispatcher the man he shot had struck his vehicle with something. He allegedly claimed he "didn't want to shoot him but had stuff to do."
Witnesses reportedly told investigators they saw Johnson honking his horn as he drove a silver van the wrong way on Beck Road at a high rate of speed, despite the street being packed with pedestrians. While most eventually moved out of Johnson's way, Rex reportedly refused.
Rex's wife, who was at the scene, told investigators her husband was attempting to protect bystanders from the erratic driver, The Spokesman-Review reported. When the van approached, Rex refused to move out of the road and allegedly swung a folding chair at the side of the vehicle as it passed on the shoulder.
The confrontation reportedly escalated quickly. Some witnesses reported that Johnson stopped the van, got out, and proceeded to attack Rex by punching him and throwing him onto the ground. One witness even described Rex being "body slammed" into a ditch. Johnson then reportedly returned to his driver's seat. When the unarmed Rex approached the driver's side window, Johnson allegedly fired a single shot through the open window and drove away.
The shooting was captured on witness video, which reportedly shows Rex falling down an embankment and then approaching the vehicle as the door was closing. The footage shows Johnson's hand emerging from the van with a small black object before pointing it at Rex, who then collapsed to the ground.
Detectives noted that while being detained, Johnson made several excited utterances, telling law enforcement that he "messed up" and the shooting "should not have happened."
In an interview with detectives, Johnson told investigators he was delivering baby formula when things "got crazy." He admitted to slamming the victim to the ground during the initial altercation and said that when Rex ran back at his door, he "reacted. Bad."
Johnson allegedly said, "I have no idea why I did that," and "He was pulling my door. What was I supposed to do?" He also reportedly admitted that his own impatience fueled the fatal encounter. "Why didn't he just get out of my way?" Johnson allegedly asked detectives. He added that while he felt bad, the "dude is dead over nothing."
During a court appearance on Monday, a judge characterized the shooting as a critical failure of judgment, according to footage provided by Spokane CBS affiliate KREM. "You made an extremely fatal and critical decision that day and as a result of that decision a member of our community here lost his life, his family lost a father, a brother," the judge said.
Johnson is currently being held in the Kootenai County Jail without bond, records show. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to return to court.