MIAMI (WSVN) - An Uber vehicle was shot at, Monday morning, after the driver picked up a passenger in Miami.
According to Miami Police, the passenger requested an Uber at around 6 a.m. After getting inside the driver’s white Chevy sedan and beginning the departure, shots were fired at the car near Northwest Fifth Avenue and 54th Street, about a block away from the pickup location.
Area resident Brittany Payne said she woke up to the sound of gunfire. “Five gunshots, right in my back yard,” she said.
“I’m still afraid,” said the Uber driver through a translator. “Let me get through this.”
The Uber passenger was too afraid to speak on camera but told 7News that he’s thankful to be alive.
Monday night, the passenger’s mother, who also asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, said she’s grateful that her son made it out of the car alive. “I just asked the Lord. Thank you, Jesus Christ, that he didn’t get hurt or anything,” she said.
Wendy Martin, the passenger’s neighbor, is still grappling with the terrifying ordeal. “It could have been any one of us,” she said. “I’m just surprised and pretty much in shock.”
The passenger’s mother said her son takes Uber to go to work, and that’s where he was headed on Monday. “He’s a little shaken up, though. I can tell he is,” she said. “He’s shaken up about it because he can’t figure out, why me?”
The back end of the car was shattered by bullets. Police marked off several bullet casings that were found on the ground at the scene.
“It’s an isolated incident. There’s no reason to be alarmed,” said Miami Police Officer Kenia Fallat. “We don’t know who the intended target was, but we can say these two people inside that car were spared today.”
Police said nobody was injured as a result of the shooting, and they are unsure if the car was the shooter’s main target. “They are lucky because neither one of them got hurt,” said Martin. “It could have been really bad.”
Those who live in the area said they hope the shooter will be caught soon. “What happens if there was a baby in the car? What happens if someone was trying to get their kids to school and they are shooting?” Payne said. “The violence has to stop.”
While detectives try to piece together what led to the shooting, the passenger’s mother is saying her prayers and breathing a sigh of relief. “All I can do is say praise God, amen. Thank you, Jesus, Father God, for saving my son’s life, sparing his life and also the Uber guy, too.”
Uber released a statement that read, “We spoke to the driver this morning and are thankful that both he and his rider were unharmed.”
Police are currently looking at surveillance video.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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