El Paso, Texas – A woman has been accused of fatally shooting her Uber driver after falsely believing she was being driven to Mexico against her will has been charged with murder, authorities said.
Phoebe D. Copas, 48, of Tompkinsville, Kentucky, remained in the El Paso County jail following her arrest on June 16.
NBC News reports that the driver, Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, was taken off life support on Wednesday.
Detectives believe Copas was in El Paso to visit her boyfriend, according to a complaint affidavit obtained by KTSM. She was in the backseat of the Uber en route to meet him at a casino when she saw roadway signs stating “Juarez, Mexico,” which is across the border from El Paso, according to the affidavit.
Believing she was being kidnapped and taken to Mexico, Copas shot the driver, causing the vehicle, a Nissan Maxima, to strike a highway barrier and come to a stop along U.S. 54 South, police said.
Copas did not call authorities before the shooting, and she didn’t summon help immediately after opening fire, the document states.
Authorities state that she took a photo of the injured driver and texted it to her boyfriend.
Multiple shots had been fired, the document states, and after Copas exited the Nissan she dropped everything she was holding, including a handgun.
“The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra was veering from Copas’ destination,” police said.
In a statement about the case, Uber said it would cooperate with investigators should its help be needed, and added that it has been in touch with the driver’s loved ones.
