Hearing on Phila. road rage shooting

Inquirer staff writer Brittany Talarico reports:

Christian Squillaciotti, 33, of South Philadelphia, who shot a South Jersey man, Thomas Timko, during a road rage altercation on the Schuylkill Expressway near the Walt Whitman Bridge on Oct. 5 will face a preliminary hearing this morning at 9 a.m. 

Squillaciotti is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, tempering with evidence and related offenses for shooting Thomas Timko, 41, who was driving with his 8-year-old daughter in the back seat of the car.

Philadelphia Police said Timko was driving his daughter to her mother's house in Norristown when he apparently cut off another driver going through the toll plaza of the Walt Whitman Bridge. The drivers exchanged words, and Timko made a gesture to the other driver and drove off. The other driver, following to the right and behind Timko, fired into Timko's car before taking the Passyunk Avenue exit, according to police. Timko was struck in the head and critically injured.

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