Woman Afraid Of Mexico Kidnapping Fatally Shoots Texas Uber Driver, Police Say

A Kentucky woman visiting Texas is accused of fatally shooting her Uber driver out of a mistaken fear that he was kidnapping her and driving to Mexico, according to local police who charged her with murder this week.

The incident took place in El Paso last Friday.

Phoebe Copas, 48, was in an Uber heading to a casino where her boyfriend planned to meet her when she allegedly saw road signs for Juarez and panicked, local NBC affiliate KTSM reported, citing court documents.

Copas then allegedly took a handgun from her purse and shot Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, in the head. The vehicle crashed into a concrete barrier, according to local ABC news affiliate KVIA.

Court documents obtained by local media say Copas took a photo of the scene and sent it to her boyfriend before calling 911.

Piedra was rushed to a hospital with severe injuries, but his family said in an update to a GoFundMe page that he died after being taken off life support this week.

El Paso Police arrested Copas at the scene. She was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and, after Piedra’s death, with his murder.

“The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra was veering from Copas’ destination,” investigators said in a statement.

Piedra’s niece, Didi Lopez, told local news station CBS4 that she suspected negative assumptions about the southern U.S. border may have contributed to the woman’s state of mind.

“They make assumptions, they see stuff maybe on the news, maybe on social media, and stuff that’s not necessarily true and when they come here, they come without really knowing,” Lopez told CBS4.

“He was really excited to be driving for Uber. He was already providing for his family. Not only that, he was meeting so many people,” she said.

Copas’ bond was set at $1.5 million.