A woman killed her uber driver in El Paso, Texas, claims she believes she is being kidnapped and smuggled into Mexico. Woman opens fire on her man Uber driving, shot him multiple times in the head, after allegedly seeing a road sign for Mexico City Juárez and falsely assumed that the Uber driver was taking her over boundaryaccording to guardian.
On Friday, June 16, Phoebe Copas, 48, a Kentucky woman, allegedly hailed an Uber ride to a casino in the El Paso Mission area. 52 year old driver Daniel Piedra Garciapicked her up and the car was on its way to the casino, but police allege Copas was under the impression that Piedra was going off course “…at some point while driving,” and she shot into the back of the head driver with a revolver.
There is no indication that Piedra is diverting from the pre-determined Uber route to the casino. In fact, the Uber car was not near a bridge, border crossing or other port of entry when Copas opened fire on Piedra. The woman shot the driver when she saw the sign saying Juárez, because guardian report:
She allegedly saw a road sign to the Mexican city of Juárez while riding, believed she was being kidnapped, and shot and killed Piedra, according to the El Paso Times. “The investigation does not prove that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra is diverting from the Copas destination,” El Paso police said. said in a statement. Authorities said the incident also did not happen near a bridge or any Mexican port of entry.
Criminal affidavit obtained by KTSM, a local news station, alleges that Copas did not call for help when she learned of her abduction or after she shot and killed Piedra. She allegedly took a photo of Piedra and sent it to her boyfriend, KTSM reports…
From the reports, it doesn’t appear Copas was trying to get away with the alleged kidnapping plot in other ways – by asking the driver to stop or asking her to get out of the car. There was no mention of any struggle leading up to the shooting, not even much of an exchange between Copa and Piedra in which the woman could clarify a route or ask about supposed road signs. there’s Juárez nearby.
There is nothing to indicate that Piedra actually went astray and took his passengers to an unknown location. Furthermore, the border crossings in Texas are clearly marked and tightly controlled, or rather heavily militarized. Both sides are patrolled and monitored by their respective state forces, meaning Copas is less likely to be smuggled into the country against her will. She will have many opportunities to get out of the car, by force, if necessary, or to call for help from US or Mexican authorities.
Instead, the Kentucky woman — who was perhaps unfamiliar with the El Paso-Juárez border — decided to shoot the Uber driver when she saw the sign. Phoebe Copas is currently being held at the El Paso County Jail on a murder charge in connection with the murder of Daniel Piedra, on a $1.5 million bond.
Piedra did not die immediately after the shooting, but was removed from life support about a week after the incident. Piedra’s family went into more detail about the killed driver GoFundMe page, where the family begins to cover hospital and funeral expenses. They explained that Piedra was an unemployed mechanic with a knee injury and was recovering from surgery when he started driving for Uber to provide for his family.
