A father of six – and dad to a University of California Berkeley football star – was killed in a ‘road rage shooting’ in Washington state.
Shawn Jemtegaard, 42, was shot in Lacey, Washington on April 22 when he was reportedly cut off by pizza delivery driver Aaron Patrick Costello, 48, in traffic.
At the time of the fatal road rage incident, the man’s 13-year-old son was in the car and witnessed the shooting, his wife said in a bond hearing for the Costello.
‘I am a single mother now of six children,’ Chelsea Jemtegaard, Shawn’s wife, said.
Witnesses said they saw Costello and Jemtegaard get into a verbal altercation which turned physical. According to The Olympian, Costello admitted to pulling out a pistol and fatally wounding the father of six.
Jemtegaard was the father of California Golden Bears player Dylan Jemtegaard who told KRON he now is focused on stepping up for his mom and five younger siblings.
A father of six, including a star University of California Berkeley football player, was shot and killed in a road rage incident in Washington state
Shawn Jemtegaard, 42, was killed in Lacey, Washington on April 22 when he was reportedly cut off by Aaron Patrick Costello, 48, in traffic
Jemtegaard was the father of California Golden Bears player Dylan Jemtegaard who told KRON he now is focused on stepping up for his mom and five younger siblings
According to a GoFundMe set up for the Jemtegaard family by Dylan’s team, Shawn was the sole provider for the family of eight.
‘The father of one of our Cal football student-athletes tragically lost his life Saturday 4/22 to a random act of gun violence,’ the description reads.
Of Shawn and Chelsea’s six kids, five are at home and range in age from three to 13.
The fundraiser has a $250,000 goal and is hoping to help cover the ‘family’s multi-year needs’ and ‘daily living expenses.’
A statement from Alexander West, Dylan’s uncle, describes the father of six as loving and devoted to his family.
‘He took great pride in his son Dylan’s academic and athletic achievements and always made time for his family, even helping to coach football at Yelm High School, despite working long hours to provide for them,’ the family member wrote.
Dylan, who is currently studying mechanical engineering at Berkeley, echoed his uncle’s statement.
‘He’s always been hands-on, working his rear end off to put dinner on the table,’ Dylan said.
The player told KRON he is now focused on keeping his family together.
‘It just makes me feel like I’m in a position that I need to continue to provide for my family… to be the most successful that they can be,’ Dylan said.
‘Having five younger siblings, they need a role model that can show them the ropes and how to do things right and ultimately live a successful life,’ he continued.
Of Shawn and Chelsea’s six kids, five are at home and range in age from three to 13
‘He’s always been hands-on, working his rear end off to put dinner on the table,’ Dylan said
‘Having five younger siblings, they need a role model that can show them the ropes and how to do things right and ultimately live a successful life,’ Dylan said
Dylan (center) is studying mechanical engineering at University of California Berkeley
According to police, officers were called to a parking lot in the block of 2500 Marvin Road Northeast for reports of a ‘traffic related disturbance.’
A witness reportedly applied pressure to Jemtegaard’s torso after he was shot.
Upon arrival, police found Jemtegaard with a ‘dime-sized’ gunshot wound and he was rushed to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
One witness told a police officer she heard an argument between two men that turned into a fight before a loud ‘pop sound’ rang out.
That witness also told the officer she heard Jemtegaard yelling, ‘Oh my god, you just shot me.’
Another witness said she saw Costello, who is a pizza delivery driver, tell his manager, ‘There’s a guy bleeding over there. I just popped him.’
Costello was subsequently arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.
On Monday, the accused made his initial court appearance in Thurston County Superior Court and set with a bond of $500,000.
In court, Chelsea asked the judge to keep the man in prison.
‘One of the children was on the scene with his father and witnessed his father in the incident. To have him (Costello) out would be terrifying at this point,’ she said.
Judge John Skinder said in setting the bail that the case is ‘unusual’ due to the extreme nature and the suspect’s clean record prior to the shooting.
‘This case is somewhat unusual in the sense that Mr. Costello does not have any prior significant criminal history, but the nature of the allegation is so extreme,’ Skinder said.
Upon arrival, police found Jemtegaard with a ‘dime-sized’ gunshot wound and he was rushed to the hospital where he later died from his injuries
That witness also told the officer she heard Jemtegaard yelling, ‘Oh my god, you just shot me’
DA Christian Cabrera alleged that Costello did not start the incident and said in court he cooperated with law enforcement at the scene, The Olympian reports.
‘It is very unfortunate, your honor,’ Cabrera said.
‘Mr. Costello was just driving back to work. According to the PC (probable cause) statement, he did not instigate this. He was just going to work and was confronted by this gentleman that had a child in the car,’ the district attorney stated.
Costello’s arraignment hearing has been scheduled for May 9.
