Daniel Piedra Garcia GoFundMe: Family launches fundraiser as El Paso Uber driver is shot by a passenger

Daniel Piedra Garcia, a 52-year-old Uber driver from El Paso, was critically shot by a female passenger on June 16, 2023, after the latter allegedly assumed she was being abducted to Mexico.

The passenger, identified as a 48-year-old woman, Phoebe Copas from Kentucky, was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury after Daniel Piedra Garcia, who was hospitalized in critical condition, was declared brain dead.

Garcia’s wife, Ana Maria Piedra, confirmed to KTSM, that her husband, who she had been married to for 29 years, was now brain-dead. In the wake of her husband’s shooting, Ana launched a GoFundMe to raise money to support her family as they hope for a miracle in her husband’s recovery.

The fundraiser created on June 19 has so far raised over $2,000 of its 30,000 target amount.

---

Daniel Piedra Garcia's family spoke out against abduction allegations leveled against the Uber driver

Authorities said that on Friday afternoon, Daniel Piedra Garcia picked up a passenger Phoebe Copas from west El Paso and was driving her to her destination in Lower Valley when the latter shot him en route on U.S. 54 near Loop 375 near the Bridge of the Americas.

Copas told the officers who responded to a shooting in the area that she thought she was being abducted to Mexico and shot Piedra in self-defense. However, police said their investigation does not support the suspect’s allegations of kidnapping. Police also noted that Garcia never veered away from the suspect’s intended destination.

In a statement to KTSM, Garcia’s family also spoke out against the allegations circulating online, erroneously stating that the driver was abducting the passenger at the time of the shooting. Didi Lopez, the niece of Garcia, said

“He’s not a criminal or a kidnapper like people are streaming on the Internet. It’s so easy to go make your assumptions and just makeup scenarios. But that’s not who he is. He’s a hardworking man. He’s the sole provider for Leo and my aunt.”

---

Daniel Piedra Garcia started working for Uber in May 2023

The family said that Garcia had started working at Uber in May 2023, after he was laid off from his previous job due to a knee injury. The family revealed that Garcia, who had been incapacitated for months due to the knee injury, was excited at the prospect of working again to provide some income for his wife and son.

Following the shooting, in a statement, to KTSM, an Uber spokesperson said:

“We are horrified by the rider’s actions. Violence is not tolerated on the Uber platform and we banned the rider as soon as we were made aware of what occurred. Our thoughts are with Mr Garcia and his loved ones, and we are working to get in touch with him and his family. Our Public Safety Team stands at the ready to assist the police as needed.”

Meanwhile, the suspect, Phoebe Copas, was booked into El Paso County Detention Facility on a $1 million bond.