An Orlando man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday for the deadly road rage shooting of a man he said cut him off in traffic then refused to move when a signal light turned green.
Nicholas Carrasquillo was found guilty in March after a three-day trial on charges of second-degree murder and shooting at, within or into an occupied vehicle for the killing of 30-year-old David Sligh on Jan. 22, 2024. The sentence was announced in a news release by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office.
“This case is yet another tragic example of how quickly heated tempers in traffic can escalate into gun violence,” State Attorney Monique Worrell said in the release. “Gun violence continues to plague our communities, claiming lives and tearing apart families … There is zero tolerance for gun violence in our community.”
Carrasquillo fired six shots into Sligh’s car, with one striking him in the head, according to an affidavit. The shooting took place in Orlando on East Colonial Drive near Lake Baldwin Lane.
He stayed at the scene as police arrived and was arrested after a witness identified him. He told investigators Sligh cut him off after switching from the far-right lane, causing him to slam on the brakes, according to the affidavit. Carrasquillo flashed his lights and honked at Sligh, and when he didn’t move as the light turned green he got out of his car and fired a shot into the roadway.
Carrasquillo told investigators he had to get out of his car because his window didn’t work. He fired additional shots into Sligh’s car, though only with intent to “maim” him because he wasn’t moving, the affidavit said. Though he felt “trapped” by the interaction, he said he never saw Sligh with a weapon nor did he leave his car.
Surveillance video from a nearby business indicated the interaction between the two men lasted about 51 seconds.
In his interview with investigators, Carrasquillo acknowledged he could have driven around Sligh to get away from the situation, the affidavit said.