true crime

This new father was on his way to see his wife and baby. He never made it to the hospital.

A US man has been killed after a suspected road-rage incident while on the way to visit his wife and newborn son in hospital.

Father of two Dennis Sloboda, 33, told his brother he was driving to the Washington hospital at around 9pm on Monday night when he cut someone off in traffic, reports The Seattle Times.

When Sloboda pulled up at the next set of traffic lights, he said the other motorist pulled a gun and pointed it at him through the window of his car.

Sloboda fled to the home of his brother Anton nearby, but the man followed and waited outside the property.

Irina, Dennis and their eldest son. Image: Facebook.

“I looked [out the window] and I could see the guy he was talking about, but he left when he saw me,” Anton told The Seattle Times.

Sloboda asked to borrow his brother's gun but was refused, and instead remained sheltered in the house for an hour until the pair were certain the threat had passed.

They had something to eat, watched part of a movie and relaxed, until the new father left at around 10pm and continued his journey to the hospital.

That was the last time he was seen alive.

Police found Sloboda's body slumped at the wheel of his car about five-minutes drive from his brother's home, following reports of gunshots at around 10.30pm.

He had suffered a bullet wound to the back of the head.

Anton Sloboda was oblivious to his brother's death until he spoke to his sister-in-law at 1am, at which point she told him her husband had never arrived to see her.

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“She looked at the (GPS) on his cellphone and saw that he looked like he was in the street,” he told The Seattle Times. “I went down there, but the police would not let me get close. They said I had to go to talk to the detectives.”

Dennis Sloboda's second son was born just days before his death. Image: Facebook.

Sloboda's wife Irina, who gave birth just days before her husband's death, wrote of her devastation on social media.

"Thank you everyone for your kind words. Words cannot explain my heartbreak but all your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. God bless."

The man's other sibling, Taylor Sloboda, has established a GoFundMe appeal to assist his family with funeral costs.

"To the older brother I always dreamed of having," he wrote on the fundraiser's page, "Words aren't enough to express the heartbreak our family is feeling.

"The strength and love you possessed were unlike any other and when I think of our times together I can just picture your contagious laugh... to say that you were respected and loved by all who met you doesn't give you enough credit.

"Our family will never be the same, you're the glue that always reminded us to stick together, and that it's a beautiful life. To imagine our future without you in it just doesn't seem fair but we're happy to know you're in a better place. Rest in peace, we love you."

Police are investigating Sloboda's death. At this stage, no suspects have been identified.