Uber driver shot in North Philadelphia was struck by a stray bullet, police say
The 34-year-old remains in critical condition.
The Uber driver who was shot in the head while driving a passenger in North Philadelphia earlier this week was struck by a stray bullet after an argument that erupted on the street nearby escalated to gunfire, police said.
The 34-year-old driver, whom police have not identified, was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. His 18-year-old passenger, who was unharmed, told police she heard a bullet go through the back window. She missed getting struck by just a few inches, authorities said.
Capt. James Kearney, head of the Police Department’s nonfatal shooting unit, said Friday that police had recovered video footage from a nearby business showing that the gunfire arose from a “disturbance” involving five or six people.
Kearney said a bullet was fired during that altercation and struck the Uber driver in the head as he traveled on Lehigh Avenue approaching Broad Street on Wednesday evening.
An Uber spokesperson on Friday called for swift justice after what she called a “heinous” shooting.
“Our thoughts are with the driver and his loved ones, and we extend our heartfelt wishes for his recovery,” the spokesperson said.
The company makes a variety of safety features available to its drivers, she added, including an in-app emergency 911 button, live phone assistance from security professionals, and a feature that allows loved ones to track a driver’s location.
Meanwhile, police are continuing to canvass the area and seek more video footage that might help identify the people involved in the argument and the person who fired the shot. Kearney said the existing footage is grainy and doesn’t depict the gunfire.
When police arrived at the scene Wednesday evening, the driver’s black Honda CRV sat wrecked against a utility pole, its back window shattered from the gunfire. Officers found six shell casings on the sidewalk, but did not recover a weapon from the scene. No arrests have been made.
Chief Investigator Scott Small said the passenger in the vehicle had been “extremely lucky,” missing the gunfire by just a few inches.
Kearney said police interviewed the passenger, but she told them she hadn’t seen much after hearing shots and ducking for cover.
The driver, Kearney said, had no criminal history and had only been trying to do his job that evening. Police plan to interview him once he is well enough to speak with them.