Police say an argument between people in two vehicles escalated into gunfire before the suspected shooter fled the area.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Newly released 911 calls capture the confusion and urgency after a road-rage confrontation in Cape Coral ended with a man shot in the face and another person injured by shattered glass, according to police and emergency-call recordings.
The Oct. 22 shooting began with an encounter between people traveling in separate vehicles and ended near Santa Barbara Boulevard, where the injured occupants stopped near a plaza. Cape Coral police say Dominic Cicchini was later identified as the suspected shooter and arrested after a six-day search.
Investigators said the confrontation started while the vehicles were traveling on Del Prado Boulevard. According to police, someone in Cicchini’s vehicle threw an object at the other vehicle. Someone in the victims’ vehicle then threw the object back. Police have not publicly identified what the object was.
Police allege Cicchini then opened fire toward the other vehicle. One occupant was struck in the face, while another was injured by broken glass. The victims were able to reach the area near Santa Barbara Boulevard, where officers later searched for evidence connected to the shooting.
The 911 recordings released after the shooting document callers urgently reporting that someone had been shot and that the gunman had driven away. One caller focused on getting help for an injured friend as dispatchers worked to determine what had happened and where the suspected shooter had gone.
The emergency calls also show how quickly the confrontation had changed from a dispute on the road into a shooting investigation. The suspected gunman was no longer at the scene when police arrived, forcing investigators to rely on evidence and information gathered after the attack to identify a suspect.
Jennifer Myers, a Cape Coral resident, told Gulf Coast News Now that she saw several officers searching along Santa Barbara Boulevard with flashlights after the shooting. Police remained in the area as investigators worked to reconstruct the confrontation and collect evidence.
Cape Coral police spokesperson Steven Klakowicz said officers respond to reports of road rage and reckless driving in an effort to address dangerous behavior before it escalates. He said detectives also investigate crimes thoroughly when violence has already occurred.
Police eventually identified Cicchini as the suspect. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested him during a traffic stop in Lehigh Acres on Oct. 28, six days after the shooting. Authorities said Cicchini is a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Cicchini remained jailed after his arrest. Police said he faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and one count involving possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. The charges are allegations, and the criminal case remains pending.
Author note: Last updated October 30, 2026.