Family of man injured in road rage shooting wants justice as suspect gets third bond hearing
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Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man who lost his eye in a road rage shooting on the Parkway is waiting to face his accused assailant in court.
Bob Long was headed to the airport after a business trip in Pittsburgh when he was shot in the face last summer.
The suspect will head to court for a third bond hearing, and the family says they just found out that the trial, which was supposed to start next week, has been postponed.
“It’s been really hard for him. I’m sorry,” said Long’s daughter, Kerri Beckner.
Beckner can’t help but get emotional when talking about her dad. Long, she says, has suffered tremendously, physically and emotionally.
“It’s almost like the victim is being re-victimized,” Beckner said.
Beckner thought her dad’s journey was nearing the end until she got a call from the victim’s advocate who alerted her to Rashawn Hall’s bond hearing. Calls by the family and the advocate to the district attorney’s office have gone unanswered, leaving them frustrated and helpless.
“I’m checking the Pa. dockets myself to get updates. I shouldn’t have to do that. We should be getting in contact from the DA,” said Long’s daughter-in-law, Brittni Wilkerson.
They said that until Tuesday, they didn’t know whether the trial was going to happen because of the bond hearing.
“The lack of transparency and communication has been, just, you know, really disappointing,” Beckner said.
Rashawn was denied bond twice before and Long’s family hopes that will be the case Wednesday too.
“Why is he getting a third bond hearing? Why does he deserve that?” Wilkerson said.
If he is released, they argue, he’ll have the opportunity to hurt someone again or flee.
“The people there that we care about, we’re worried about them,” said Beckner.
“The most concerning thing with all of us is that we know he didn’t act alone in this, so who else is out there that is just free right now?” Wilkerson said.
More than anything, they say they want justice for Long and they want the DA to take his case seriously.
“You haven’t done anything to reach out to the family directly to get any sort of information other than when they saw Bob at the hospital. You know what I mean? That was it,” Wilkerson said.
“Give us justice so we can all move past this. My dad is due that, he really is,” Beckner said.
KDKA-TV reached out to the district attorney’s office for comment but didn’t hear back by airtime.
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