NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A man at the center of a violent road rage incident in Nassau County that led to his daughter and another young girl being shot pleaded not guilty Thursday morning.
William Hale was charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into a vehicle in the October 2022 incident.
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In addition to pleading not guilty to the charges, Hale also waived his right to a speedy trial, which can provide some more time to prepare for a defense.
Hale appeared in court alongside his attorney Thursday morning to formally enter his plea. As of now, there are no offers from state prosecutors.
According to his arrest report, Hale was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck with five people inside, and another man was driving a gray Nissan Murano with three occupants.
The report said both men were driving erratically on U.S. 1.
Hale pulled up next to the Nissan and shouted at the other man to pull over, according to court documents. It goes on to say Hale’s wife made an obscene gesture, then Hale threw a plastic water bottle at the Nissan.
Not knowing exactly what hit his SUV, according to the report, the other man, Frank Gilliard Allison, fired one shot at Hale’s truck, hitting Hale’s 5-year-old daughter.
Allison was also initially arrested and charged with attempted murder. However, the State Attorney’s Office dropped the charge, determining that Allison was acting in self-defense, under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
When Hale realized his daughter was injured, the report says, he pulled out his own gun and fired several shots at Allison’s SUV.
Allison’s 14-year-old daughter was shot in the back, which collapsed her lung. In a body camera video, the child could be heard yelling, “It hurts!”
Both children survived their injuries.
Throwing something at a moving car is a felony, and Allison acted in self-defense when he fired shots, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Hale is due back in court for a pretrial hearing near the end of May.