Trucker Hauling Mail Shot to Death on I-5 Near Gorman

An independent trucker hauling mail from Los Angeles to Bakersfield was apparently stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 5 near Gorman and fatally wounded as he sat in the cab of his truck, authorities said today.

Witnesses told sheriff’s deputies that they saw a man standing next to the truck, arguing with the trucker, just before the shooting Monday night. Afterward, the attacker sped away in what was described as an older-model car, deputies said.

The wounded man, identified as Edward Watkins, 36, of San Gabriel, was taken by helicopter to a Valencia hospital where he died about an hour later. He had been shot several times in the upper body.