Man Accused Of Shooting Woman After Road Rage Incident Will Stand Trial

A Tulsa County judge has ruled there’s enough evidence to order a 21-year-old man to stand trial for shooting and killing a woman, following a road rage incident last summer.

Julian Zavaleta is charged with following Shantel Jones into the Auto Zone parking lot near 51st and Peoria, then shooting and killing her.

Three eye witnesses testified and they all had very similar accounts.

All three were in different locations in the parking lot. But they all said they saw Zavaleta use his vehicle to block in the victim’s car, then pointed a gun out his car window, and shot her.

The first eye witness said he was walking out of AutoZone when the victim pulled up right next to him.

He said he was just feet away and saw the victim get out of her car and start walking toward Zavaleta’s vehicle, yelling, but said that’s when he saw the Zavaleta point a gun out of his car and shoot the victim once, then speed off.

The second witness said she was pulling out of the parking lot when the the two drivers raced into the lot next to her. She testified she saw Zavaleta holding a gun up as he was driving into the lot behind the victim.

The third witness said he saw the road rage incident start on Peoria, then watched the suspect and victim pull into the lot and saw the shooting.

That witness said he tried to follow Zavaleta but couldn’t keep up.

All three eyewitnesses said the victim only made it a couple of steps from her car before she was shot, and she didn’t have any weapons.

Police said less than an hour after the shooting, Zavaleta called and turned himself in.

Zavaleta’s attorneys said they expected the decision, but said he’s innocent and will be arguing self defense.

“Julian had to act reasonably to defend himself from a threat posed by an individual in our society,” said Zavaleta’s attorney, Max Deane.

Police also said Zavaleta gave the gun to family members after the shooting before turning himself in.

Zavaleta is scheduled to be back in court on March 6th.