A Baltimore man will serve a life sentence for fatally shooting a woman in 2023 during an act of road rage in Essex, according to the Office of the State’s Attorney in Baltimore County.

Rylan Picard-Kevin Harris, 31, was sentenced Wednesday in the Baltimore County Circuit Court for attempted first-degree murder and 40 years for second-degree murder. Judge Michael Finifter also sentenced Harris to a consecutive term of 20 years in prison for using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence.

Shalia Hendrix was driving on Route 702 in Essex with a friend when she was shot in the back by someone in a nearby car traveling in the same direction.

Hendrix lost control of the car and crashed into a wooded and marshy area off Route 702 and near Eastern Boulevard, according to police. Hendrix died as a result of the gunshot.

She did not know Harris, a county police spokesperson said. Instead, the shooting was a random act of road rage, prosecutors said.

Baltimore County detectives obtained video surveillance from nearby businesses and traffic cameras to identify the victim’s car and the car from which the shot was fired.

Based on that video footage, investigators determined that Harris fired the shot. He was with another person, 30-year-old Darashea Gross, at the time, police reported.

Harris’ attorney, Brandon Taylor, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

“I want to express my appreciation to the excellent work of the Baltimore County Police in solving this senseless act of apparent road rage,” State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said in a statement. “I offer my condolences to the family and loved ones of Ms. Hendrix and hope that the just sentence in this case will help in some way in coping with their loss.”

Gross, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty on June 11, 2024, to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree assault. She was sentenced to five years in prison, all of which was suspended except for time she had already served, followed by three years of supervised probation.

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