A woman is facing charges of murder after shooting her Uber driver in the head last week. This after she claims he tried to kidnap her.
The police in the border city of El Paso, Texas, says the woman thought she was being taken into Mexico. In a statement they said that Phoebe Copas (48) then shot her driver, (52) Daniel Piedra Garcia.
“At some point during the drive, Copas thought she was being taken into Mexico and shot Piedra. The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra was veering from Copas’ destination,” the statement said.
Copas was arrested and initially charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury: a second-degree felony.
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Piedra was hospitalised for several days. Doctors broke the news that he would not recover from the shooting, forcing his family to take him off life support.
Authorities says a preliminary investigation found Copas was heading to El Paso’s Mission Valley, yet when she started seeing signs to Mexico, she thought she was being taken across the border.
Police documents further explain that after Copas thought she was being kidnapped, she pulled a gun form her handbag. She then shot her driver in the head. The car hit multiple barriers before coming to a stop.
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Just prior to calling emergency services, Copas allegedly took a photo of Piedra Garcia after he was shot. She reportedly sent it to her boyfriend via text. Officers arrived at the scene after 2PM, while Copas was being helped out of the car by her boyfriend.
Ana, Daniel’s wife, said in a GoFundMe post that her husband was the “sole provider” for their family. She adds that he was “very happy to finally be able to work and bring home (an) income” as an Uber driver. He reportedly injured his knee at his previous job: which required surgery in April.
With Piedra’s death, the charge against Copas has been upgraded to murder. El Paso officials say her bond is now set at $1.5 million.
