A man driving home from work last night was shot by another driver, authorities say. He is recovering at nearby hospital.
The victim, 67-year-old Ralph Rella, works as a night manager at the Ritz Carlton Lake Oconee and lives in Forsyth, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. Rella said he left work at 10:45 p.m. and was driving South along Ga. Route 44 to Forsyth when a white car pulled up behind him and then moved alongside of his and somebody inside the car opened fire on Rella's 2012 Sonata.
One of the bullets passed through the driver side window and hit Rella in the arm, Sills said. The gunman fired multiple times and then sped on down the road. Rella continued to drive himself to Putnam General Hospital, where he was treated and transported by ambulance to a hospital in Macon.
The sheriff said there are nine bullet holes in the Sonata, made by either a 9mm or a .40 caliber handgun. The investigation is ongoing by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.