COLUMBIA, Ill. — An Uber driver was shot in the face early Saturday in the parking lot of the Columbia Police Department after his two passengers ordered him at gunpoint to drive to his home, police Chief Jason Donjon said in a statement.
The driver, a 52-year-old man from Columbia, Illinois, had picked up the two passengers, ages 17 and 20, in north St. Louis about 2:30 a.m. According to the statement, one of the passengers produced a firearm and ordered the driver to return to his home in Columbia.
Instead, the driver headed to the Columbia Police Department, 1020 North Main Street, to seek help, Donjon said. As the driver stopped the vehicle, one of the passengers shot the driver in the face.
The passengers fled on foot. The victim was taken to a hospital. He is in critical condition, but is expected to survive, the statement said.
Columbia police were assisted by the Waterloo Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Officers noticed a silver GMC SUV that was driving slowly nearby and tracked it with a drone. The two suspects exited the woods and got into the SUV, which was occupied by two women. Officers stopped the SUV and took all four people into custody, according to Donjon’s statement.
The Columbia Police Department is working with State’s Attorney Ryan Webb to pursue charges, the statement said. Information on which passenger shot the driver was not available Saturday afternoon.
A tornado devastated the St. Louis area on May 16, and much of the following week was spent picking up the pieces. Volunteers turned out and the road to recovery began. View the week in St. Louis through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.
