DENVER — An Uber driver fatally shot a passenger early Friday morning while the two were in a vehicle on an interstate in Denver. Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said preliminary information points to a conflict between the driver and passenger. He says shots were fired by the driver on Interstate 25 shortly before 3 a.m Friday. The driver, identified by police as Michael A. Hancock, 29, is being held without bond in a Denver jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. Hancock told a witness the passenger, identified by the medical examiner as Hyun Kim, 45, assaulted him while they were driving, according to court records. The initial police investigation snarled morning rush-hour traffic through Denver. I-25 is the primary north-south route through the city, and the closure of the southbound lanes until 8 a.m. Denver time forced drivers to battle heavy traffic through residential areas and the University of Denver campus, backing up vehicles into neighborhoods as commuters sought alternate routes. Hancock’s mother, Stephanie Hancock, told KUSA-TV that he's been driving for Uber for a couple of years to make extra money. He also works at a youth group home as a counselor, she said. “He’s a husband, a father, a college student. He works two jobs,” Stephanie Hancock told the station. “It’s a terrible, terrible thing that happened. We don’t know anything else.” Hancock's parents told KUSA-TV that he had a concealed carry permit from his days of working as a security guard. Police said they recovered 10 bullet casings from the scene. Uber's policies generally ban both drivers and passengers from carrying firearms. "This is very preliminary, but it appears there was an Uber driver and his passenger got into a conflict inside his vehicle, shots were exchanged, shots were fired and the passenger it appears was shot," Jackson told KUSA-TV in Denver. In a statement to USA TODAY, Uber said, “We are all deeply troubled by the events in Denver today. Our thoughts are with the families of those involved. The driver's access to the app has been removed, and we will continue working closely with police.” This is just the latest troublesome incident for the ride-hailing company in Denver and the state of Colorado. In April, Denver law professor Nancy Leong fired off a series of tweets describing how her Uber driver told her he was going to take her to a hotel instead of the Denver International Airport. At a stop light, she said she screamed and pounded on the vehicle windows until nearby construction workers noticed and the driver then unlocked the doors and Leong got out. Last year, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission fined Uber $8.9 million after regulators found 57 Uber drivers over the previous year and a half were on the job despite having felony convictions, major moving violations or were driving with a suspended, revoked or cancelled driver's license. The commission in April reduced the fine to $4.5 million after some violations were dismissed and a judge has not ruled on Uber's petition that the commission exceeded its authority with the penalty. Contributing: KUSA-TV<doc-sep>An Uber driver opened fire early Friday morning on a male passenger after a "conflict" on a highway, according to Denver police. The passenger, who may have been shot multiple times, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead following the confrontation, which began around 2:45 a.m. MT (4:45 a.m. ET), said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson. The driver was identified as Michael Hancock, 29, and arrested on a charge of first-degree murder, police tweeted. UPDATE: 29 YO Michael Hancock has been arrested for investigation of first degree murder for the early morning shooting on I-25 and Unversity. pic.twitter.com/YVvKFVy5ge — Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 1, 2018 Hancock was earlier treated at the hospital for unspecified wounds and released into police custody, Jackson said, adding that investigators "can't speculate what went on in the car." The passenger was not immediately identified. Police shut down a portion of the southbound lanes of Interstate 25 through the morning rush hour, causing massive gridlock, as they sought to interview other drivers who may have witnessed the shooting. Jackson said authorities were in contact with Uber. He said it was unclear if the shooting occurred while Hancock was on a job. A spokesman for the ride-sharing app said in a statement that the company is "deeply troubled" by what happened: "Our thoughts are with the families of those involved, and we will continue working closely with police." In a 2016 case in Kalamazoo, Michigan, an Uber driver was charged with fatally shooting six people and wounding two others — apparently at random — and blaming the car service's mobile app for turning him into "a puppet." He remains jailed while awaiting trial.<doc-sep>DENVER – Police say a driver for the ridesharing service Uber shot and killed a passenger in their car in Denver early Friday. The shooting occurred a little before 3 a.m. on Interstate 25 near University Boulevard. The Uber driver has been identified as Michael Hancock, 29. He was arrested for investigation on first-degree murder charges. The passenger was identified as Hyun Kim, 45. He was pronounced dead at Denver Health Medical Center. An autopsy was completed, but the cause of death is pending. Police said Hancock shot Kim multiple times after getting into some kind of altercation inside the vehicle. According to a statement of probable cause provided by Denver police, the driver told a witness that Kim tried to attack Hancock and "the driver shot him." The witness called 911 and passed the phone to Hancock, who identified himself to the dispatcher, the report said. When officers arrived on scene, they found Kim lying on the floorboard of the front passenger seat. They then attempted to perform CPR on the passenger, but Kim was pronounced dead at the hospital. While still at the scene, police removed a semiautomatic pistol from Hancock's right waistband and located "10 spent 40 caliber cartridges on the left shoulder of Interstate 25 near University Blvd," the police document read. The report continues, "Detective Lopez also located a blood trail near the spent cartridges; the blood trail was consistent with the path of where the Nissan sedan came to rest. Detective Lopez noted several suspected bullet strikes in the passenger compartment of the Nissan sedan." Police said Hancock had trouble breathing and he was taken to a hospital for treatment. He was later arrested on investigation of first-degree murder. Court records show that Hancock was charged with driving under restraint and a speeding infraction on April 21 in Douglas County and that he has several other traffic convictions in the past. Hancock's father, Michael Hancock Sr., told Denver7 of his son: "He is a great dad. He has two kids. He's a college student. And his big thing is to make the world a better place." Uber confirmed that the incident appears to be associated with an on-app trip and that Hancock has been an Uber driver for nearly three years. The company said it has since removed Hancock from the app. Uber policy bars riders and drivers from carrying firearms except in states that expressly prohibit companies from banning guns. While Colorado allows drivers to carry firearms to protect themselves and their property, Uber spokesman Andrew Hasbun said the company's policy applies in Colorado. Uber said it was working with police on the active investigation but said it couldn't offer further details. "We are all deeply troubled by the events in Denver today. Our thoughts are with the families of those involved, and we will continue working closely with police," an Uber spokesperson said. The southbound lanes of I-25 were closed for several hours while police investigated the shooting. The interstate was back open as of 8:20 a.m. but the ramp from University to southbound I-25 remained closed for some time. The ramp had reopened by 10 a.m. Police said they would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed anything related to this case at about 2:45 a.m. at I-25 and University. This is a developing story; please check back for updates.<doc-sep>
DENVER (Reuters) - A driver with the ride-sharing service Uber was arrested on Friday for suspicion of first-degree murder after Denver police said he fatally shot a passenger in his vehicle. Michael Andre Hancock, 29, was being held without bond in the Denver County jail pending the formal filing of charges, according to jail records. It was unclear if he had legal representation. According to a Denver Police probable cause affidavit, on Friday morning a man later identified as Hancock told a motorist on the side of a highway that he had just shot a rider who tried to attack him. Police found a sedan stopped perpendicular to traffic on a ramp and a man with gunshot wounds lying on the floor board of the front passenger seat, the affidavit said. The Denver Medical Examiner’s Office identified the dead man as Hyun Kim, 45. Police said they removed a semi-automatic pistol from Hancock’s waistband, and later recovered 10 spent 40-caliber cartridges on the shoulder of the highway. Hancock was arrested, but police did not provide further details. Uber said in a statement that it was “deeply troubled” by the arrest of Hancock, a contract driver with the company for nearly three years. “Our thoughts are with the families of those involved. The driver’s access to the app has been removed, and we will continue working closely with police,” Uber said. San Francisco-based Uber Technologies Inc has faced criticism over its vetting of drivers. Last November, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission fined Uber $8.9 million for allowing 57 people to drive for it although they lacked valid driver’s licenses or had committed other offenses that should have disqualified them.