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Woman fatally shoots Uber driver, fearing she was being kidnapped

Phoebe Copas told police that she feared she was being taken to Mexico because she saw a sign that said "Juarez, Mexico."
Woman fatally shoots Uber driver, fearing she was being kidnapped
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A woman has been charged with murder for fatally shooting her Uber driver, authorities in Texas said.

According to the El Paso Police Department, Phoebe Copas, 48, shot Daniel Piedra Garcia on June 16 after requesting a ride. He died several days later. 

Copas reportedly told police that she feared she was being taken to Mexico because she saw a sign that said "Juarez, Mexico."

"The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place," the El Paso Police Department said in a statement. 

El Paso sits on the border with Mexico, so it would not be uncommon to see a sign for Juarez. 

The El Paso Police Department added that Piedra Garcia did not veer from the directions for the destination requested by Copas. 

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According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the El Paso Times, Copas called 911 after the shooting. 

"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," Didi Lopez, the niece of Piedra Garcia, told the El Paso Times. "She took a photo before calling 911."

Copas was detained during the initial investigation. She was first charged with aggravated assault, but the charge was upgraded to murder after Piedra Garcia died. 

Copas remains in jail on a $1.5 million bond. 

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