EL PASO, Texas — A Kentucky woman has been charged with murder after an Uber ride in El Paso, Texas, turned deadly.
El Paso police said in a news release that Phoebe Copas, 48, was a passenger on an Uber ride when she shot driver Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52. The incident happened around 2:20 p.m. on June 16 on U.S. 54 near Loop 375.
According to police, Piedra was driving Copas from the Westside area in El Paso to Mission Valley. During the drive, Copas believed she was being kidnapped and taken to Mexico, police said.
The El Paso Times reports Copas told officers that she saw traffic signs that read "Juarez, Mexico," leading her to believe that her driver was trying to kidnap her.
Copas then took out a gun from her purse and allegedly shot Piedra in the back of the head. The 52-year-old was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
"The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra was veering from Copas' destination," police said in their news release.
Copas was initially charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, but the charge was upgraded to murder after Piedra died at the hospital days later.
Piedra was taken off life support on June 21, Piedra's family told the El Paso Times.
Copas was booked into the El Paso County jail, with her bond set at $1.5 million.
An online fundraising campaign was set up by Piedra's wife to help with medical bills and funeral expenses.
On the GoFundMe page, Ana Piedra described her husband as the "sole provider for our family." She said he injured his knee at his last job and was unable to work for a while after having surgery last April.
"He was very happy to finally be able to work and bring home income for his tragedy to happen..." his wife said.