An elderly Ohio man who thought he was being scammed shot and killed an Uber driver.
CNN reported William Brock, 81, shot Loletha Hall many times outside his home in South Charleston on March 25, according to a criminal complaint. She later died at a local hospital.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Brock believed Hall was tied to threatening phone calls he received earlier that day.
Brock said he received calls from a male claiming one of Brock’s relatives was incarcerated. The man told Brock to wire money for bond. When Brock resisted, the man threatened Brock and his family, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
When Hall, an Uber driver, went to Brock’s house, he confronted her and shot her many times, the release said.
Brock thought Hall was connected to the earlier calls and was there to kill him and his family, according to a 911 call he made after shooting her, authorities said.
A dashcam video recorded the interaction and was released by police.
Hall ended up at Brock’s residence because she received a request to pick up a package, according to the news release.
“Authorities believe she was ‘unfamiliar with the circumstances’ surrounding the request,” CNN reported.
Brock was charged with murder.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the charge was murder since there was not threat by Hall and Brock did not notify authorities for assistance.
According to the news release, Hall asked about the package, but did not make any demands to Brock.
Brock posted his $200,000 bond after pleading not guilty to murder.
“This is a horrific tragedy and our hearts continue to be with Loletha’s loved ones as they grieve,” an Uber spokesperson said to CNN. “We have been in contact with law enforcement and remain committed to supporting their investigation.”
The Uber account that ordered the package pickup has been banned, the company said.
Per CNN, “authorities believe that individual was either the original scam caller or an accomplice,” according to the release.
“It’s unclear if authorities have identified the owner of the account or made any additional arrests,” CNN reported.
