Uber aids probe of account that sent driver on fatal call

Uber is helping investigators look into an account that sent a driver to the Ohio home where an 81-year-old man allegedly shot the woman to death because he erroneously believed she was part of a scam that targeted him, the ride-hailing company said Wednesday.

The March 25 shooting death of Loletha Hall is “a horrific tragedy,” and that account has since been banned, an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Our hearts continue to be with Loletha’s loved ones as they grieve.”

William Brock was indicted Monday on charges of murder, felonious assault and kidnapping for Hall’s death. Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday for him and for his lawyer, Paul Kavanagh of Springfield, Ohio.

The grand jury said a gun seized from Brock’s home, a .22-caliber revolver, is subject to forfeiture. Brock has pleaded not guilty.

Police said Brock called 911 before noon to say he had shot someone at his South Charleston home, claiming Hall had tried to rob him. Investigators later said the driver was unaware of the scam call Brock had received with threats and demands for money, citing an incarcerated relative.

Hall “made no threats or assaults toward Mr. Brock, and made no demands, other than to ask about the package she was sent to retrieve through the Uber app,” the Clark County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an April 11 release. The police agency said Brock “produced a gun and held her at gunpoint, making demands for identities of the subjects he hadspokenwithonthephone.”

It’s not clear what the phone callers said to Brock, but the sheriff ’s office news release included a reminder, particularly to older people, that law enforcement and courts do not solicit cash for bail money “in the manner of this case.”