'I will never be who I was before the shooting,' woman shot on Pa. Turnpike tells gunman

As Morgan King drove to her Eastern Pennsylvania home after a weekend in Pittsburgh, the last thing she expected was to be shot in a fit of road rage.

King, 40, was hospitalized for five days for injuries suffered from the shot fired by Andrew Skinner, 33, of Monroeville moments after she drifted into his lane of traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near New Stanton on Nov. 21, 2021.

“I will never forget that day. I was listening to ‘Hamilton,’ the musical, and my pet parrot was in the back seat. I saw a silver car went past me,” King said Friday during a sentencing hearing for Skinner, who pleaded guilty last year to aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm in connection to the shooting incident.

“I felt bad, and I wanted to say I’m sorry so I tried to wave … but his back window was tinted. I pulled alongside and his window came down, I saw him reach over, get a gun and point it at me. I heard a pop, and then there was fire in my abdomen,” King testified.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears imposed terms of a negotiated plea that calls for Skinner to serve five to 10 years in prison and an additional year on probation. Prosecutors dismissed charges of attempted homicide, reckless endangerment and propelling a missile into a vehicle.

King testified she has physically recovered from the shooting, but two years later still experiences terror about what happened. She struggles in public, is haunted by loud noises and is afraid while behind the wheel of her vehicle, she said.

“I will never be who I was before the shooting. At times, I wished he would have aimed higher,” King said. “I have lost so much because of Andrew Skinner’s actions that day.”

Skinner, who had been free on bail for the past two years, was ordered to immediately begin serving his prison sentence. Before he was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom, he told the judge he suffered from anxiety and depression related to a tough childhood that included years in foster care, sexual abuse and other mental health issues.

“I apologize to Morgan and her friends. I take full responsibility for my actions. There are reasons and circumstances, not excuses. When I was living in Arizona, I was run off the road several times and was shot at. That led to a lot of anger and panic,” Skinner said.

Defense attorney Ryan Tutera said Skinner is hopeful he will receive mental health treatment while incarcerated.

“This is a very bizarre set of circumstances. We hope the victim finds healing and finds peace,” Tutera said.