Uber driver dies after being shot on US 54; woman now charged with murder

All Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, wanted to do was provide for his family and be there when they needed him the most.

"He was a hardworking man and really funny," Piedra's niece Didi Lopez said. "He was never in a bad mood. He was always the one that if he saw you in a bad mood, he'd come over and try to lift you up and always was making us laugh. Such a funny, caring and hardworking man."

Three weeks ago, Piedra, the sole provider of his household, began working as an Uber driver. He began his shift by picking up passengers at 7 a.m. and ending it around 2 p.m.

On June 16, he picked up his last customer of the day at about 2:20 p.m.

As his shift neared its end, his wife had not heard from him.

She called and texted him but received no answer.

His family never heard from him again.

"We believe that was going to be his last ride because he would usually go back home around that time," Lopez said. "So, he picked her up, but time went on, and so my aunt, his wife, was calling him and calling him and texting him, and he wouldn't answer his phone. So, then that's when she started calling everybody else.

"They started calling all the hospitals, trying to see if he was there. And then someone had mentioned the article that came out about an Uber driver being shot. They called the (El Paso Police Department) nonemergency number and then that's when they told them that it was him. And so for us to go to the hospital. That's how we found out."

Suspect claims fear of kidnapping was reason for shooting

Piedra picked up Phoebe Copas, 48, of Tompkinsville, Kentucky, at about 2 p.m. in a gray Nissan Maxima on the West Side and was taking her to Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, 122 S. Old Pueblo Road, to meet with her boyfriend, a complaint affidavit states.

As they drove on U.S. 54 southbound in South-Central El Paso, Copas saw traffic signs that showed the words "Juarez, Mexico." That allegedly led her to believe Piedra was attempting to kidnap her and take her across the border, the affidavit states.

"What we were told originally was that the lady saw the sign on the freeway that said it was Mexico," Lopez said. "So, she panicked and thought that my uncle was kidnapping her. And so her instinct was to shoot him and she shot him multiple times in the head."

Copas allegedly grabbed a silver and brown handgun from her purse and shot Piedra in the back right side of his head, the affidavit states. This caused the vehicle to crash into roadway barriers before coming to a stop on the freeway.

The area where the car crashed was "not in close proximity of a bridge, port of entry or other area with immediate access to travel into Mexico," the affidavit states.

It adds, "The roadway (Copas) was traveling on is a normal route to drive to the destination requested by the (Copas)."

Prior to calling 911, Copas took a photo of Piedra after he was shot and sent it to her boyfriend via text message, the affidavit states.

"When the affidavit came out, it said that she shot my uncle and that she took a picture of him after she shot him and she sent it to her boyfriend, and then she called the police," Lopez said. "She took a photo before calling 911."

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Officers arrived at the scene about 2:20 p.m. They saw Copas being helped out of the car by her boyfriend.

Copas then dropped everything she was holding in her hands on the ground, including a brown and silver handgun, the affidavit states.

Officers found Piedra slumped over in the driver's seat of the car, shot in the head.

Copas was detained by the officers as they investigated the shooting.

Piedra was taken to University Medical Center of El Paso for treatment.

Piedra was declared brain dead at the hospital

He was placed on life support with life-threatening injuries caused by multiple gunshots, the affidavit states.

He remained on life support until Wednesday, when his family took him off it.

"Originally, they (doctors) told us that he was brain dead due to where the bullet that went in him destroyed his brain," Lopez said. "Yesterday (Wednesday), they told us that his brain was destroyed, but that there was a percentage of his brain that was still functioning, but that was going to be his status forever. He would need to be on life support forever. There was nothing that they could do. There was nothing."

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The decision to remove him from life support devastated the family, Lopez said.

"His status was not gonna change if we did not disconnect him," Lopez said. "It was basically just gonna be like in a vegetative state. We didn't want to see him suffering. We didn't want him to live out his life like that.

"It was hard because we wanted him to, of course, wake up and continue living his life, but we basically didn't make the decision. The decision was made for us and for him the second that those bullets went inside of his head."

'We just want justice'

Copas originally was arrested June 16 on suspicion of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in connection with the shooting. She was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a $1 million bond.

With Piedra's death, the charge has been upgraded to murder, El Paso Police Department officials said. Copas' bond is now set at $1.5 million.

"We want justice," Lopez said. "It wasn't fair that that's how the situation played out. I wish she would've spoken up, asked questions, not acted on impulse and make a reckless decision because not only did she ruin our lives, but she ruined her life, too. We just want justice for him. That's all we're asking."

Copas is scheduled for a bond hearing at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Community comes together to support family, remember Piedra

Since hearing of the shooting, the El Paso community has come together to help Piedra's family and honor his life, which was cut way too short, Lopez said.

"We basically just wanted to open it up to the community because his funeral will be private," Lopez said. "We have seen how much people are backing us up online and all the people who have donated. And so we kind of wanted a chance to give the community a moment to just kind of grieve with us and see their support in real life."

A vigil for Piedra will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park, 1701 N. Copia St.

"My family and I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and donations," Lopez said on Facebook. "We appreciate the community backing us up and would like to welcome anyone who would like to join us as we celebrate my uncle’s memory."

A GoFundMe account was created at gofundme.com/f/daniel-piedra-garcia to help his family pay for hospital and funeral expenses.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Uber driver shot in El Paso on US 54 dies; woman charged with murder