Road Rage Gunman Fired at SUV Filled With Kids — but Family's Dog Wasn't About to Let Any of the Bullets Hit Fellow Passengers

It reportedly started with road rage that escalated to insane levels and ended with heroics...and tragedy.

Following an altercation between drivers Friday, a white Chevy Suburban filled with at least three children pulled into an Atlanta strip mall and another vehicle followed and parked next to the SUV.

"They just rolled right up, they pulled a gun out and started clapping," one of the victims told WXIA-TV, using slang for "shooting."

Image source: USA Today

But another passenger reportedly stepped up in a big way: the family's German shepherd.

The victim, who was uninjured, told the station that the dog "jumped in front of the bullet to save one of the children and the wife." 

After the shooting the dog was seen in surveillance video jogging from the scene. The wounded animal ventured behind a building nearby and died.

Image source: USA Today

"The dog took the bullet for the kids so the kids would be safe," a witness told WXIA.

No arrests have been made, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.

"They were fired upon and their family was terrorized," Atlanta Police Sergeant Gregory Lyon told WXIA. "They survived that only to find that their pet is now gone. It's sad for the whole family, especially the day after Thanksgiving."