Delaware State Police have arrested a 28-year-old Saint Georges man in connection with a fatal road rage shooting that claimed the life of a Bear motorcyclist in Newark on Tuesday afternoon.
The shooting occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m. on August 4 at the intersection of Salem Church Road and Old Baltimore Pike (OBP). Troopers responding to the scene found 46-year-old Jason Paoletti of Bear lying in the roadway with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit assumed the investigation and determined that Paoletti had been riding a motorcycle behind a Hyundai Elantra before both vehicles stopped at a red light. Investigators said Paoletti pulled his motorcycle in front of the Hyundai, which then moved alongside him in the left lane. A verbal altercation followed between Paoletti and the occupants of the Hyundai. According to investigators, Paoletti stepped off his motorcycle and reached into a saddlebag when the Hyundai’s front-seat passenger, identified as 28-year-old William Simpler Jr. of Saint Georges, allegedly shot him. The Hyundai then fled the scene.
Through the investigation, detectives identified Simpler and the vehicle involved. Detectives responded to his residence, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Simpler was transported to Troop 2, where he was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court and committed to the Delaware Department of Correction on $1.5 million cash bail.
