Crime & Safety
Denver Uber Shooting: Driver Charged With 1st-Degree Murder
Michael Hancock, 29, is accused of shooting to death passenger Hyun Kim, 45 near I-25.
DENVER, CO – A Denver Uber driver who allegedly shot and killed his passenger on I-25 last Friday has been charged by the Denver District Attorney's Office.
Michael A. Hancock, 29, was charged on Thursday with first-degree murder.
Officials say Hancock shot and killed Hyun Kim, 45, in an early morning incident, firing at least 10 rounds from a Ruger pistol near the southbound ramp of I-25 and University Boulevard.
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Passenger Kim was found in the front seat of Hancock's silver Nissan sedan with multiple gunshot wounds.
Hancock told a man who stopped to help that "his ride tried to attack him and [Hancock] shot him," according to an arrest affidavit. Police recovered a semi-automatic two-tone Ruger pistol from Hancock's right waist band, according to the affidavit. Officers on the scene found 10 shell casings and a trail of blood on the roadway.
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Related: Denver Uber Shooting: Listen To Police Dispatchers Here
A police spokesman confirmed that both the driver and the wounded man were taken to hospitals. Kim was pronounced dead at the hospital. KDVRFox 31 reported that Kim, originally from South Korea, leaves behind a wife and child.
Hancock was interviewed by police but declined to talk about the incident without a lawyer present, the arrest affidavit said.
Neither Hancock nor Kim have previous arrests or conviction in the state of Colorado, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation website.
Hancock's father, Michael Hancock Sr. told Patch he believed his son had fired at his passenger in self-defense. Hancock Sr. said his son had obtained a concealed carry permit and that he had been trained to fire in self defense. He said his son, a married father of two young boys living with his parents in south Aurora drove for Uber to earn extra money while he attended college courses. His son carried a gun for his own protection.
"He likes that overnight shift, but there’s crazy stuff that happens," Hancock Sr. said.
A GoFundMe account to raise funds to hire a lawyer for Hancock Jr. was taken down because it violated the terms of GoFundMe, a company spokesperson confirmed.
Hancock Jr. is being held in the Denver County Jail with no bail.
His next court date will be June 12.
Related: Denver Uber Shooting: Listen To Police Dispatchers Here
Related: Uber Shooting: District Attorney Gets Delay In Charging Driver
Related: Uber Driver Homicide: Family Raises Funds For Lawyer
Related: Uber Shooting: Denver Police ID Passenger Who Died, Arrest Driver
Image via Denver Police Dept.
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