Rideshare driver shot and killed during carjacking on Houston's southside, police say
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A rideshare driver was shot and killed in a carjacking on Houston's southside overnight, according to police.
The deadly shooting happened on Ward Street between Cullen Boulevard and Scott Street.
The Houston Police Department said someone called 911 around 2 a.m. Wednesday and said a shooting victim was lying in the street.
When officers arrived, the victim reportedly told them that two men ran up to him, shot him several times, pulled him out of his vehicle, and stole his car.
The man later died at the hospital, according to HPD. Investigators said they found his black Hyundai Sonata abandoned about eight blocks away at Goforth Street and Dreyfus Street.
"This is not the first incident of an Uber or Lyft driver being carjacked in this area, and they are saying there were several within the last month drivers that have been carjacked. Fortunately, they lived, but not our individual today," HPD Homicide Unit's Alexander Vinogradov said.
According to HPD, there have been three carjackings in the area within a week involving rideshare drivers.
Eyewitness News spoke to one driver who says he was carjacked nearby at gunpoint on Sunday. He didn't want to be identified.
"I was scared. I was scared. I thought I was going to die. I dropped to my knees. I said, 'Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me,'" he said.
According to Houston police, two arrests have been made in that case.
Authorities are asking anyone who lives in the area where the carjacking happened or where the car was found to check their surveillance cameras for any footage of the suspects from Wednesday morning.
