Uber driver thought he was picking up 2 riders — until 1 killed the other, Texas cops say

A Texas man who says he’s an Uber driver called 911 Friday to report that his attempt to pick up passengers over the ride-sharing platform ended in a deadly shooting, local authorities said.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at an afternoon press conference that “a supposed Uber driver picked up at least one individual, and he thought the second individual was with him as well — but he turned out to be a shooter.”

After the gunman opened fire on the SUV, the driver fled about a mile and a half from the attempted pickup location north of Houston, Gonzalez said. That’s where deputies responded and discovered a dead man who is believed to be the killed passenger, according to the sheriff.

“We do have a shooter that is for now on the run,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez emphasized that the investigation is in the preliminary stages. The shooting occurred near the intersection of T.C. Jester Boulevard and Laurel Creek Road.

Uber did not immediately respond to McClatchy’s request for comment on Friday.

“(The driver) says that as he picked up one individual, the individual sat in the rear passenger side of the SUV while a second companion to that individual came around the driver’s side — around the back — and immediately began opening fire into the back seat where his companion was and shot him ... multiple times,” Gonzalez said. “Instead of entering the vehicle, apparently he just opens fire into the back seat, shooting the male that he was with.”

The shooter left the scene of the shooting on foot, according to authorities. He hasn’t been apprehended, and is armed with a handgun, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez wrote on Twitter that the shooter might have left the scene by car.

Gonzalez said the driver wasn’t hurt, KPRC reports.

This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 4:48 PM.