A pensioner has been arrested after he allegedly shot dead an Uber driver who had unwittingly been hired to collect cash from him as part of a scam.
William Brock, 81, shot Loletha Hall several times when she appeared at his home in Ohio last month, after he believed she was part of the extortion attempt, police said. He has now been charged with her murder.
A man posing as an officer at a local court had previously called Mr Brock and told him he needed to pay $12,000 (£9,600) to get his nephew out of prison, police said.
When he refused, the man apparently threatened to kill him and his nephew. He told Mr Brock that someone would come to his house to pick up the money.
Hall was unaware of the threats Mr Brock had received when she arrived at his house in South Charleston, police said.
The pensioner held her at gunpoint with a pistol, taking her mobile phone and demanding that she reveal the identity of the man who had tried to blackmail him.
‘I’m here to pick up a package’
Hall frantically tried to explain herself, telling Mr Brock in footage captured on her dashboard camera: “Sir, I’m here to pick up a package.” He answered: “Yeah, I know what you’re after.”
She then said she would call the police and attempted to leave, prompting a scuffle at the door of her car. In the process, Mr Brock allegedly shot her three times.
Lt. Kristopher Shultz, of the local sheriff’s office, said Hall, 61, was not armed, did not threaten or assault Mr Brock, and “did not have any idea” about the ransom demand.
He continued: “When she tried to get away, he shot her once, then there was more exchange between them.
“Mr Brock was at some point injured to his head, and he shot Ms Hall a second time. There was more conversation, and then he shot her a third time. Only after he shot her a third time did he then make contact with authorities to report the incident.”
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