Concern over alleged road rage shooting

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WALA) - A local man remains behind bars facing attempted murder charges, after police said he shot a man in the chest at the intersection of Highways 161 and 182 in Orange Beach Thursday morning.

Upon arrival in Orange Beach for vacation, the last thing a person wants to hear is a shooting just occurred in the area. But, that’s exactly the news Adam Pichoff and Nathan Laviolette got just 20 minutes after getting in town.

“This is supposed to be a safe place,” Laviolette said.  “We don’t want to hear about a local taking out a gun and blasting somebody in the chest.  That’s scary.”

But according to Orange Beach police, that's what happened.

Police said Steven Pinson, who lives on Ono Island, shot Damon Hembree, who was in town from McCalla and traveling with his wife and two children.

Police said while stopped at the intersection, Hembree got out of his vehicle and approached Pinson, who was in a pewter Chevrolet pick-up. 

Witnesses said the two men argued, before Pinson fired a .380 caliber pistol, striking Hembree in the chest.

Hembree was taken to a Pensacola hospital by LifeFlight.  Police believe he was unarmed.

Authorities said the incident didn’t start at the intersection.  They believe the two men started fighting on Perdido Pass Bridge, yelling at one another and exchanging hand gestures.

Pichoff called the fighting “silly.”

“Everybody experiences road rage, but to take it to the point a half mile to a mile down the road, and then to the point of getting out of the car- nothing you can do in a car, whether it’s cutting somebody off or running a red light or whatever it is, is worth taking someone’s life,” Pichoff said.  “It’s not that serious.”

And although Hembree is the victim in this incident, Laviolette believes he should share some of the blame, since he left his silver Ford Fiesta and approached Pinson.

“It’s ridiculous on both of their parts,” Laviolette said.  “Obviously pulling out a gun was a little worse, but he shouldn’t have gotten out of the car.”

Hembree was last reported in stable condition.

If you have any information on the incident, call the Orange Beach Police Department at (251) 981-9777.