Humberto Hernandez was driving for Uber when he picked up a request for a ride in Englewood early Wednesday. But what was supposed to be a quick ride soon turned deadly.
The passenger requested to be picked up and taken to a location before being dropped back off at home.
Hernandez, 31, said he drove Dontius Wilson, 23, to his requested location and waited to give him a ride back home around 1 a.m.
He said that as they neared Wilson’s home in the 600 block of West 69th Street, a vehicle rear-ended him and someone began shooting at his car. He then said another vehicle tried to block him off from the front, but he managed to avoid it and began racing to safety.
“I don’t know how I managed to escape. All I know is I stepped on the gas and tried getting as far away from there as I could,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said he was able to lose the shooters but was eventually forced to stop because his tires had been shot out. He said he then jumped out of the car and ran to hide in a nearby alley while he called 911.
After calling for help, Hernandez said he went back to his car to help Wilson but saw he had been shot and was unconscious.
“He was covered in blood, and I didn’t know what to do. I just had to wait for the police to arrive,” Hernandez said.
Wilson was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He later died at the hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Hernandez, who just started working as a ride-hailing driver last month, said he no longer feels safe and doesn’t know if he’ll continue to pick up requests for rides.
“I had heard of things like this happening, but I never imagined that it would happen to me,” Hernandez said. “Now I know it’s true. This is a dangerous city.”
Hernandez said his car was badly damaged in the shooting, and he is having trouble getting answers from Uber and his car insurance about financial help.
“I feel like they’re just giving me the runaround. They say the claim is under investigation, but no one is offering me any help,” Hernandez said.
No one is in custody, and Area 1 detectives are investigating.
