Road Rage Plus Guns: Mercedes Owner Shoots Woman Dead In America After Her Friend Touches His Car
A tragic incident of brutal road rage unfolded in USA's Downtown Dallas, when a 28-year-old woman, Ashlee Long, was shot to death by a Mercedes owner. The person who committed the crime has now turned himself up completely to the police. Let's delve into the details of this unfortunate incident before discussing the legal side of things...
Long, a successful real estate agent from Richmond-Rosenberg area near Houston, had come to Dallas to spend time with her friends. She was on a happy night out when the unfortunate incident happened. The police says that she was leaving a Dallas bar at around 2 am, along with her friends. They were walking along the road, when they saw a White Mercedes sedan passing by.
William Kistler, one of Long's friends, suddenly 'reached out' and brushed his hand against the car, in a playful way. Though the exact intention behind this is unknown, surveillance camera footage shows it to be far from causing any harm to the car or its paint.
The Mercedes driver however, got triggered by the act and pulled over suddenly. Identified as 34-year-old Kendrick Finch, he jumped out of the vehicle holding a gun.
Things moved towards dangerous territory in the blink of an eye. Kistler quickly reached into Long's purse and pulled out a firearm, trying to protect them. Before they could do anything, the cops say, Finch opened fire at the two. The closing remarks by Prosecutors for the state say that Finch fired at least eight times, in the residential commercial street.
Both Long and Kistler took bullets. They were soon transferred to a hospital nearby. The woman, however, couldn't be saved. A nearby surveillance camera recorded the entire incident, the footage of which was later transferred to the police.
After committing the crime, Finch did not flee far. He soon called the cops and confessed he was involved in the incident. He, however, didn’t turn himself in right away. It took nearly two weeks—and a strong push from Ashlee’s family on social media—to bring him in.
The family has been actively conducting online campaigns to ensure justice was served to their daughter. Finch finally surrendered on April 18, 2025 and was transferred to Dallas County jail. His bond is set at $500,000. Records show he has a criminal history. Interestingly, Kistler was also charged with unlawful custody of a firearm.
Long's family seems to be aware of the fact that they have signed up for a long legal battle, and is in fact, quite prepared for the same. They have sought bail reform.
The victim's stepsister even created a website that would let more people write to Texas lawmakers, regarding the reform. This they believe, would eventually get justice served to the deceased.
"Bond reform is something that our family is going to stay on for years. Not only for Ashlee, but for anyone. I feel like you shouldn't be able to murder someone and get out on bail. As a family member, to have that possibility of seeing someone like that in public, I don't think that is right or just" - said Gillian Kimber, the stepsister. She is of the view that violent offenders should never be granted bond.
The issue seems to have grabbed the attention of higher officials. At a roundtable last week, Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas announced his support for amending the US State's constitution in a way that it restricts bail to those accused of certain violent crimes.
Bottomline
It is hard for most to believe that someone would end up taking a life, for something as small and trivial as touching his/her favourite car. It is bizarre, stupid, inhuman and something that should not be forgiven at all. We hope Ashlee be served justice soon...