Current:Home > MyWoman allegedly shoots Uber driver, thinking he kidnapped her and was taking her to Mexico-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Woman allegedly shoots Uber driver, thinking he kidnapped her and was taking her to Mexico
View Date:2024-12-23 19:25:06
A Kentucky woman has been accused of fatally shooting her West Texas Uber driver after mistakenly believing she was being kidnapped and taken to Mexico, according to police.
Phoebe Copas, 48, remained jailed Sunday in El Paso, Texas, after being charged with murder last week in the death of 52-year-old Daniel Piedra Garcia.
Copas allegedly shot Garcia on U.S. Route 54 as he was driving her to a destination in El Paso's Mission Valley on June 16, the El Paso Police Department said in a statement.
"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.
Piedra was hospitalized for several days before his family took him off life support after doctors told them he would not recover.
After Piedra died, police said they'd be bringing murder charges against Copas.
Court and jail records did not list an attorney who could speak for Copas. She is being held on a $1.5 million bond, according to The Associated Press.
The shooting took place as Copas, who is from Tompkinsville, Kentucky, was in El Paso visiting her boyfriend, according to authorities.
During the ride, Copas saw traffic signs that read "Juarez, Mexico," according to an arrest affidavit. El Paso is located on the U.S.-Mexico border across from Juarez.
Believing she was being kidnapped and taken to Mexico, Copas is accused of grabbing a handgun from her purse and shooting Piedra in the head, according to the affidavit. The vehicle crashed into barriers before coming to a stop on a freeway.
The area where the car crashed was "not in close proximity of a bridge, port of entry or other area with immediate access to travel into Mexico," according to the affidavit.
Police allege that before she called 911, Copas took a photo of Piedra after the shooting and texted it to her boyfriend.
"He was a hardworking man and really funny," Piedra's niece, Didi Lopez, told the El Paso Times. "He was never in a bad mood. He was always the one that, if he saw you in a bad mood, he'd come over and try to lift you up."
A GoFundMe campaign set up by Piedra's family said he was their sole provider and had only recently started working again after being injured in his previous job.
"I wish she would've spoken up, asked questions, not acted on impulse and make a reckless decision, because not only did she ruin our lives, but she ruined her life, too," Lopez said. "We just want justice for him. That's all we're asking."
- In:
- Mexico
- Homicide
- El Paso
- Kidnapping
- Crime
- Shootings
veryGood! (94)
Related
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- Tennessee’s strict abortion ban is under pressure, but change is unlikely under GOP control
- Grammys red carpet 2024 highlights: See the best looks and moments
- Popular model sparks backlash for faking her death to bring awareness to cervical cancer
- 2 credit unions in Mississippi and Louisiana are planning to merge
- Sheryl Swoopes' incorrect digs at Caitlin Clark an example of old-fashioned player hatin'
- Tennessee governor’s budget plan funds more school vouchers, business tax break, new state parks
- Yes, cardio is important. But it's not the only kind of exercise you should do.
- 'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
- White House renews calls on Congress to extend internet subsidy program
Ranking
- The Best Gifts for People Who Don’t Want Anything
- Why the NBA trade deadline is so crucial for these six teams
- Conservative Nebraska lawmakers push bills that would intertwine religion with public education
- Ukrainian-born Miss Japan Karolina Shiino renounces title after affair with married man
- Watch a rescuer’s cat-like reflexes pluck a kitten from mid-air after a scary fall
- Meta will start labeling AI-generated images on Instagram and Facebook
- Applebee's makes more Date Night Passes available, but there's a catch
- At least 99 dead in Chile as forest fires ravage densely populated areas
Recommendation
-
Arbitrator upholds 5-year bans of Bad Bunny baseball agency leaders, cuts agent penalty to 3 years
-
Super Bowl overtime rules: What to know if NFL's biggest game has tie after regulation
-
The Real Reason Vanderpump Rules' Ariana Madix Won't Let Tom Sandoval Buy Their House
-
Kyle Shanahan: 'I was serious' about pursuing Tom Brady as 49ers' QB for 2023 season
-
Are Dancing with the Stars’ Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber Living Together? She Says…
-
'Category 5' was considered the worst hurricane. There's something scarier, study says.
-
Why the NBA trade deadline is so crucial for these six teams
-
Ryan Reynolds, Randall Park recreate 'The Office' bit for John Krasinksi's 'IF' teaser