(AP) – Uber is helping investigators investigate an account that sent drivers to an Ohio home. Where an 81-year-old man allegedly shot and killed a woman The ride-hailing company said Wednesday that the man mistakenly believed she was participating in a scam.
The March 25 shooting death of Loretha Hall was a “terrible tragedy,” and the account has since been banned, an Uber spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our hearts are broken. “Our thoughts remain with Loresa's loved ones.”
William J. Bullock was charged Monday with murder, felony assault and kidnapping in Hall's death. Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday with him and his attorney, Paul Kavanaugh, of Springfield, Ohio.
The grand jury also said a gun seized from Bullock's home, a .22-caliber revolver, would also be subject to forfeiture. Mr. Block has pleaded not guilty.
Police said Bullock called 911 just before noon and said he had shot someone at his South Charleston home and claimed Hall was trying to rob him. Investigators later cited an incarcerated relative who said the driver was unaware that Bullock had received fraudulent phone calls threatening him or demanding money.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office said in an April 11 release that Hall “did not threaten or assault Ms. Bullock in any way, other than asking her about a package she was picking up through the Uber app. I didn't make any demands.” Police said Bullock “readied her gun and pointed the gun at her, demanding the identity of the person she had spoken to on the phone.”
Police said Hall's Uber ride to collect the package was directed by the same person who made the fraudulent call to Block, or an accomplice. In a statement released by Uber on Wednesday, the company said it provided the information to assist law enforcement authorities.
Bullock is accused of taking Hall's cell phone, refusing to let her leave, and then fatally shooting Hall as she tried to get into his car. The sheriff's office said it is investigating “the male subject's initial fraudulent phone call to Mr. Bullock” and the order for package delivery through the app.
Police said Bullock shot Hall two more times, sustained minor head injuries himself during the confrontation, and then called 911. Police said Hall was unarmed, but he later died at a hospital.
He posted $200,000 bail and was released from Clark County Jail on Wednesday.
https://www.wkbn.com/news/ohio/uber-looking-into-account-that-sent-driver-to-ohio-home-where-she-was-killed/ Uber sent a driver to her home in Ohio, where they are investigating what caused her death.