June 22nd 2023.
Phoebe Copas, a 48-year-old woman from Kentucky, has been charged with felony aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in the shooting of Uber driver Daniel Piedra Garcia. Copas had been visiting Texas to meet her boyfriend when she ordered an Uber ride to take her to the Speaking Rock Casino.
On their journey, Copas spotted a sign that read 'Juarez, Mexico' and mistakenly believed the driver was attempting to abduct her. In response, she pulled out a silver and brown handgun from her purse and shot Piedra Garcia in the head. The vehicle crashed onto the Loop 375 and Copas did not call police before taking a picture of the driver and texting it to her boyfriend, before calling 911.
Police officers observed Copas drop the handgun from her hands when they arrived at the scene. After investigation, it was determined that Copas was not being kidnapped and Piedra Garcia had been following the route from the Uber app.
Piedra Garcia, 52, remains in the ICU on life support, according to his family member. His wife, Ana Piedra, wrote in a GoFundMe page that he 'was working for Uber when 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'.
Uber commented on the incident, stating that they 'horrified by the rider's actions' and 'banned the rider as soon as [they] were made aware of what occurred'. They have been in contact with Piedra Garcia's family and expressed their thoughts during this difficult time.
The GoFundMe page created by Piedra Garcia's family had already raised over $16,000 as of Wednesday evening. It is a reminder of the support and generosity the community has in the wake of this tragedy.
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