On September 12, 2024, 50-year-old Scott Patrick Decker was fatally shot in Orinda, California, after a road rage confrontation near Las Vegas Road and La Espiral, north of Highway 24. The incident involved Decker’s Toyota 4Runner and a Tesla driven by a 72-year-old man. Reports say the dispute began while the vehicles were moving, escalated when Decker allegedly blocked the Tesla with his SUV and got out to confront the older driver, and that the Tesla driver later shot Decker, claiming self-defense. Emergency responders pronounced Decker dead at the scene.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office is treating the case as a homicide while investigating the self-defense claim. The 72-year-old driver was detained for questioning and released without charges pending further inquiry; authorities have not publicly identified him. Decker lived in Orinda and Truckee, was engaged, and had been caring for his fiancée’s children in Orinda. His father, Scott Decker Sr., said they had been estranged for a decade. Neighbors described Decker as a gentle man and expressed shock over the fatal encounter.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600, Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441, email [email protected], or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message. Did anyone in the Orinda area see the vehicles or the confrontation that day?