An Uber driver crashed his SUV after being shot in the head while driving a passenger in North Philadelphia late Wednesday night, police said.
On Friday police identified the victim as 34-year-old Michael Almonte-Sime from the 3400 block of North Marshall Street.
The victim was driving a passenger near North Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue around 11 p.m. when a bullet went through the back of his SUV and struck him in the head, according to investigators.
Police quickly responded to find the driver slumped in the driver seat of a crashed Honda CRV, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
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"That Honda CRV clearly jumped the curb and crashed into a utility pole," Small said.
Police rushed the unresponsive 34-year-old driver to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition, but later succumbed to his injuries on June 15, police said.
The teenage passenger wasn’t injured in the incident.
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The driver was going westbound on the 1300 block of Lehigh Avenue when his passenger heard several gunshots and heard a bullet pierce the back window of the SUV, police said. The driver then went across Broad Street before striking the pole.
Investigators said the bullet went through the headrests of both the driver's side backseat and front seat before striking the driver in the back of the head.
"That 18-year-old passenger... is extremely lucky because she was missed by getting struck by gunfire by just a few inches," Small said.
Police rushed to the 1300 block of Lehigh Avenue to find evidence that six shots were fired from the sidewalk on that block.
The passenger said she saw no road rage or arguments in the several minutes she was in the vehicle before the shooting. A law enforcement source also told NBC10 police don't believe the driver was intentionally targeted and that he has no prior run-ins with the law.
No arrests have been made and police have not released information on any suspects. Small said investigators hoped surveillance video will reveal more clues.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
