Road Rage Leaves Father Dead, Man Sentenced To Prison

A road rage incident that lasted only 20 seconds left a young Portland father dead. The suspect was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Bullets flying through the streets from one man caused the death of the 29-year-old father of two. Prosecutors were successful in their case against Donald A. Beckwith, 31, who was sentenced on Friday after admitting to the shooting that took place two years ago.

Beckwith will do his time in state prison with his sentence being 10 years mandatory before he can receive time off. He plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter for killing LaSalle J. Shakier. Shakier was a father. Many members of Shakier’s family was in the Multnomah County courtroom during the sentencing hearing. The shooting took place in the Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.

The courtroom was sad during the sentencing. Beckwith was reported to had made eye contact with the victim’s family members as they spoke about their loss. One of the family members said Shakier was kind-hearted who would probably forgive Beckwith if the two could meet again.

The underlying facts of the incident describe Beckwith and Shakier as driving in opposite directions on Northeast 66th Avenue when the two stopped and began to exchange words in the early morning hours on Sept. 9, 2020. Beckwith pulled out a revolver and fired twice as Shakier reversed away down the dead-end street. Beckwith fired four more rounds at Shakier. One of the bullets hit him in the head.

The victim also had a gun but police said he did not brandish it or shoot it during the 20-second exchange. Beckwith also never saw the victim’s loaded weapon. Beckwith, however, ditched his truck, disposed of his gun and fled to another town. He was found and arrested by U.S. marshals on Sept. 14. He was ultimately charged with manslaughter after a plea deal. Circuit Judge Christopher Marshall handed down the sentence.