An 81-year-old Ohio man gunned down an Uber driver after both were scammed by an unknown caller.
William Brock called 911 after shooting Loletha Hall, 61, multiple times outside his home, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement obtained by Law&Crime.
According to the statement, Brock had received a scam call about an incarcerated relative “which turned to threats and a demand for money” on March 25. Hall, meanwhile, had also received a call through her Uber app, calling on her to pick up a package for delivery from Brock’s residence.
The sheriff’s office said the two calls came from “the same subject or an accomplice” and that they are investigating the scam.
Brock, believing Hall was the scam caller, greeted her with a gun. She is seen in dash cam footage from her car backing away from Brock as he follows with his gun. Moments later, he killed her, firing multiple times.
“Hall, suffering from medical conditions and unarmed, made no threats or assaults toward Mr. Brock, and made no demands, other than to ask about the package she was sent to retrieve through the Uber App,” the sheriff’s office said. “Upon being contacted by Ms. Hall, Mr. Brock produced a gun and held her at gunpoint, making demands for identities of the subjects he had spoken with on the phone. He also demanded and took possession of her cell phone to prevent calls, and refused to allow Ms. Hall to leave.”
Brock followed Hall as she tried to get back into her car and shot her, scuffled with her momentarily, then shot her two more times.
Brock made no attempt to call for help until after he’d shot Hall three times, when he told dispatcher’s he’d shot someone who was attempting to rob him. He was initially charged with murder, but a grand jury later added charges of felonious assault and kidnapping, Law&Crime said.
The sheriff’s office noted that the scam call made to Brock is a common one, purporting to come from law enforcement, and noted that law enforcement would not call relatives of people in jail to demand money. Brock, apparently, recognized the call as a scam but decided to take matters into his own hands.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Clark County Sheriff’s Office via WTDN]
