POLICE in Missouri have made a breakthrough in their investigation into the death of a sports reporter.
Dennis Sharkey Jr, 50, died of a gunshot wound on January 10 after an apparent road rage incident.
Dennis Sharkey Jr died from a gunshot wound in January[/caption]
Ruslan Huseynov has been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon and is being held without bond[/caption]
Sharkey was a reporter for The Platte County Citizen and authorities believe he was on his way back from covering a sporting event.
He was traveling on the Interstate 29 when his car and another vehicle both stopped.
Witnesses in a car behind told police they saw a man emerge from a vehicle with a gun.
They heard a gunshot as they drove southbound on the I29 past the two stopped vehicles and called 911.
First responders received the call around 7 pm local time and rushed to the scene.
They found the reporter’s vehicle crashed into a fence and identified Starkey behind the wheel.
Starkey was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead at 7.51 pm.
Ruslan Huseynov, 34, has been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
He is being held at the Platte County Detention Center without bond.
It is not immediately clear who his defense attorney is.
Police made the arrest based on mobile phone data and traffic cameras.
A warrant executed on Sharkey’s phone traced him to the Platte County area on that day.
And cops searched his residence, where they discovered a gun and ammunition.
The bullet in Sharkey’s body and shell casings matched those found at Huseynov’s house.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “We actually still don’t know what really led up to this shooting.
“It certainly has all the hallmarks of a road rage case.
“But at the end of the day, we don’t know exactly what happened on that highway.”
“This has been an extraordinarily complex investigation where deputies with the Platte County Sheriff’s Office pieced together cell phone data and surveillance footage to identify a suspect.”
Sharkey celebrated turning 50 years old the day before his death.
According to an obituary, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2006 before his career in the industry.
