CHICAGO, IL – A devastating incident occurred in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood early Wednesday when an unidentified gunman opened fire on a moving rideshare vehicle, resulting in the death of a passenger. Despite ongoing investigations, the assailant remains at large.
Near 1 a.m., a man in his mid-twenties boarded an Uber, heading through West 69th Street inside a Honda Civic. It was at this point that a dark-colored sedan reportedly began tailing the rideshare vehicle and subsequently unleashed a hail of bullets at it. The aftermath revealed a significantly damaged Uber with at least nine bullet holes and a shattered rear windshield.
Witnessing the sudden assault, the Uber driver promptly made a desperate distress call indicating that an unknown entity was closely following and firing at him. The passenger sustained multiple gunshot wounds amidst this unexpected attack and was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Regrettably, the victim could not be saved and was pronounced dead. However, the Uber driver escaped the incident unscathed.
As police delve into the case, no arrests have been reported so far. The incident adds to the disturbing number of violent incidents involving rideshare vehicles, with data revealing eight batteries, one assault, and two armed robberies in such vehicles this year alone. Last year saw a significant rise in these figures, with 22 batteries, 15 assaults, and 10 robberies being reported.
In a related development, Uber announced on Wednesday the implementation of customizable safety measures for passengers travelling at night. This includes audio recording inside vehicles and the ability for trips to be automatically shared with friends and family.