'Road rage' leaves two drivers dead

• Incident unfolded after one motorist followed the other too closely%2C police said
• One driver followed the other into a car wash area
• Both drivers fired shots at each other%2C witnesses said

Two drivers are dead after a "road rage" incident in the Ionia, Mich., area escalated into a shootout, WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids is reporting.

Witnesses told the station that one driver was following the other too closely Wednesday evening shortly before 7 p.m. when the first driver pulled into a car wash and the second followed him.

The driver of the second car then fired shots, and the first driver returned fire, leaving both of them dead, witnesses told the TV station.

Both men had licenses to carry concealed weapons, according to authorities.

In Michigan, anyone 21 or older can be issued such a permit if they take a gun-safety class and meet a list of requirements, according to the Huffington Post.

Police identified the two men as Robert Taylor, 56, who drove a Chrysler PT Cruiser, and James Pullum, 43, who drove a Ford Taurus. Pullum also had two pssengers, but neither was injured, police said.

People at a nearby laundromat found both men lying on the ground and started performing CPR.