What began as a minor traffic irritation turned into a deadly act of road rage that claimed a man’s life in **Indianapolis** on **Saturday evening**. Police say 23-year-old **Deborah Benefiel** is accused of fatally shooting **Settles**, a 27-year-old man, following a confrontation that started with nothing more than a **car horn at a stoplight**.
According to investigators, Settles and his girlfriend were driving near **West 38th Street and Georgetown Road** when they pulled up behind a **green Ford SUV** stopped at a red light. When the light turned green and the vehicle ahead failed to move, Settles honked his horn. After getting no response, he drove around the SUV and continued down the road — unaware that the driver, Benefiel, would soon follow.
Witnesses and surveillance footage show that Benefiel began **tailgating and shouting** at the couple, gesturing angrily from behind the wheel. Settles’s girlfriend later told police she saw the SUV gaining on them and immediately sensed the situation was escalating. Benefiel reportedly followed them for several blocks before pulling up beside their car at another intersection.
Words were exchanged through open windows before, according to police, **Benefiel brandished a firearm and opened fire**, striking Settles. His girlfriend managed to pull over and call 911, but by the time paramedics arrived, he had **succumbed to his injuries**. Benefiel fled the scene but was arrested less than an hour later after officers tracked her vehicle using nearby traffic cameras.
Detectives are now preparing formal **murder and weapons charges**, calling the shooting a senseless tragedy born out of rage. “No one should lose their life over a horn or a moment of impatience,” an IMPD spokesperson said. The killing has reignited conversations about **road rage and gun violence**, leaving a community stunned by the needless loss of life.
