Uber Shooting: Denver Police ID Passenger Who Died, Arrest Driver

DENVER, CO – Police have made an arrest in a fatal shooting along Interstate 25 early Friday morning. Police identified the accused gunman as Michael Andre Hancock, 29. He was arrested Friday afternoon and is facing a murder charge, according to police records.

Hancock, who was working as an Uber driver at the time of the incident, apparently got into an altercation with his passenger, whom police identified as Hyun Kim, 45, of Englewood. Hancock called 911 to report the shooting at 2:30 a.m., identifying himself as an Uber driver and saying he shot his passenger a police spokesman confirmed.

Although Hancock shares a common name with the mayor of Denver, the mayor's office confirmed the accused gunman is not related to Mayor Michael Hancock.

Officers arriving on the scene found Kim with multiple gunshot wounds on the southbound I-25 entrance ramp at University Boulevard. Hancock crashed his silver Nissan sedan into a concrete barrier during the altercation.

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 on the roadway.

Police said it was not known if Hancock is a licensed gun owner.

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Police investigators shut down southbound lanes on the expressway for hours during the morning rush hour.

A statement from the ride-sharing service indicated that the company was cooperating with police.

"We are all deeply troubled by the events in Denver today," said an Uber spokesman in a statement to Patch. "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.”

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Officers on the scene also told dispatchers the accused gunman was "having a hard time breathing, related to asthma."

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. Hancock is in the Denver County jail.

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