Passenger Shoots Uber Driver To Death After She Thought She Was Being Kidnapped to Mexico

                                 

According to court documents, a woman visiting Texas shot her Uber driver, mistakenly believing he was kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico. 

The Uber driver, Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, died after he was taken off life support in the ICU by his family, after the incident

Phoebe Copas, 48, now faces Murder charges. 

She was in El Paso to visit her boyfriend when the shooting occurred, as stated by KFOX-TV.

Before the shooting took place, the Kentucky resident ordered an Uber to transport her to a local casino, where she planned to meet her boyfriend after his work shift. 

Piedra picked her up, and during the ride to the casino, Copas saw traffic signs indicating the direction to "Juarez, Mexico," as per KTSM. This sighting led her to believe that she was being kidnapped and forcibly taken to Mexico. 

In response, Copas retrieved a handgun from her purse and allegedly shot the driver in the head. The car subsequently crashed into roadway barriers before coming to a halt on US-54 near Loop 375.

                                       

Law enforcement, as mentioned in the charging documents, stated that the shooting did not occur in close proximity to a bridge, port of entry, or any other area with immediate access to Mexico. 

The police investigation does not support the claim of a kidnapping or the driver deviating from Copas' Uber route. 

Ana, the driver's wife, expressed in an online post, "His passenger shot him in the head because she believed he was kidnapping her and taking her to Juarez, which was not the case. Daniel was simply following the route from the Uber app."

Both Uber drivers and passengers have the ability to track the assigned route via the Uber app on their phones. 

Additionally, Uber provides a feature for passengers to share their location with a friend or loved one. 

Prior to contacting 911 for assistance, Copas took pictures of the injured driver and sent them to her boyfriend, according to the court documents. 

When the police arrived at the scene, Copas' unidentified boyfriend was present, helping her exit the vehicle.

Uber, in a statement to KFOX, expressed their horror at the passenger's actions and emphasized that violence is not tolerated on their platform. The rider was promptly banned as soon as the company became aware of the incident. 

Piedra's family remained hopeful for his recovery, but sadly, he died after he was taken off life support in the ICU.

He had recently started working for Uber after recuperating from knee surgery, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to contribute financially to his family, only to have this tragedy occur.