Scam victim shoots innocent Uber driver dead
AN ELDERLY retiree has been arrested after gunning down an Uber driver he believed was involved in an extortion plot.
William J Brock, 81, opened fire on mother of one Lo-Letha Hall, 61, when she arrived at his home in South Charleston, Ohio, to pick up a package.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Brock had been contacted by a scammer pretending to be a police officer demanding $12,600 (€11,800) for the release of his nephew from jail.
Ms Hall, who worked as a driver for the ride-sharing app, was then unwittingly sent by the fraudster to collect the ransom money on March 25.
But believing her to be part of the scam, Brock held Ms Hall at gunpoint and took her phone.
Dashcam footage of the incident shows the pensioner brandishing a revolver and demanding that she tell him which scammers she had been working with. The pair were then involved in a brief scuffle, during which Brock allegedly shot Ms Hall three times. She died in hospital.
Brock told authorities that he had been called by an unknown man who told him he needed to pay thousands of dollars to release his nephew from jail.
The caller reportedly threatened to kill the nephew if he did not pay the ransom.
Police say the same scammer, or an accomplice, hired Ms Hall through the Uber app and sent her to pick up a package from Brock’s home.
The sheriff’s office said: ‘Ms Hall, suffering from medical conditions and unarmed, made no threats or assaults toward Brock, and made no demands, other than to ask about the package
‘No threats or assaults’
she was sent to retrieve.’
Brock has pleaded not guilty to murder and has been released on bail.
Ms Hall was described as a devoted mother and church member, known for her delicious pound cakes and her love of gardening.
She had retired from Ohio’s Regional Income Tax Agency.