Woman charged with murder after road-rage shooting in west Indy

A 23-year-old Indianapolis woman has been charged with murder after prosecutors say she shot and killed a 21-year-old man during a road rage incident on Oct. 17 in west Indianapolis. Authorities allege the confrontation began at about 2 p.m. when the victim, identified by the prosecutor's office as Kentrell Settles, honked at the woman while her vehicle was stopped at a green traffic signal. Settles was later shot and died at a hospital.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and the Marion County Prosecutor's Office say the woman, Deborah Benefiel, followed Settles after he passed her vehicle at an intersection at West 38th Street and Georgetown Road. Prosecutors contend she yelled and gestured while pursuing him and then fired into his car on Donald Avenue, striking him in the chest. Settles was taken to Eskenazi Health in critical condition and later pronounced dead.

Investigators located Benefiel within hours, using license plate reader technology to identify her vehicle, and say a witness identified her in a photo lineup. Authorities took her into custody at a local gas station, where prosecutors say officers found her and her mother attempting to remove identifying stickers from...