Police ID Man Killed By Uber Driver In Attempted Robbery
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MIAMI(CBSMiami) -- Police have identified a man shot and killed by an Uber driver during what they say was an attempted robbery in Aventura over the weekend.
During a Monday press conference, authorities identified him as 24-year-old Kevin Johnson. They also identified the Uber driver as 29-year-old Namique Anderson.
Police say the Aventura incident began around 5 a.m. Sunday shortly after Anderson picked up a passenger. They were headed to a Fort Lauderdale airport when Anderson was cut off by what police believed to be a dark-colored either silver or gray Dodge Caravan near the 3500 block of NE 192nd Street.
"He [Johnson] exited the vehicle with two fire arms and pointed them at the driver of the Uber and made some demands," explained Sgt. Chris Goranitis. "At that point, the Uber driver [Anderson] basically had his own firearms that he was licensed to carry and he shot him four times."
Police said the passenger in the Caravan jumped in the driver's seat and took off.
Police are questioning a person of interest, but have not revealed his identity. The person is believed to have been with Johnson when another robbery was committed earlier.
"These individuals had committed another armed robbery in Broward County about an hour before this one," Goranitis said.
Residents quickly figured out that something was very wrong in the area.
"It looked like there was a fatality and there was a sheet covering something," said resident Margo Stashauer.
Police have questioned Anderson and the passenger. They questioned a person of interest after a Caravan matching the description of the suspect car was brought into the Aventura Police Department.
Anderson is a licensed gun owner and had a permit to carry his gun. No charges are expected to be filed against him since police say he was the victim in this incident.
As for his employer, Uber's firearm policy says, "Our goal is to ensure that everyone has a safe and reliable ride. That's why Uber prohibits riders and drivers from carrying firearms of any kind in a vehicle while using our app. Anyone who violates this policy may lose access to Uber."