Lyft driver fatally shot in the head by 19-year-old passenger, police say

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 19-year-old is now in custody for the shooting death of a Lyft driver early Friday morning.

The 49-year-old Eastpointe woman picked up the passenger at a Walmart just before 5 a.m. but before she would get to the destination to drop him off, she was shot in the head.

"In terms of why it happened, that’s part of the ongoing investigation. He’s not telling us that part," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

The sheriff’s office is questioning the 19-year-old suspect believed to be the passenger being taken by ride-share service before they crashed in Pontiac after she was shot.

Bouchard says there is no indication that the two previously knew each other.

Aerial video shows the crash at Putnam Ave. and Rundell Street which is how the call first came in. When deputies got there, they saw the victim tragically shot and her silver Nissan Versa rammed into a utility pole.

They had information a man had run from the scene, but K9s, witnesses, and the digital trail the suspect left behind would lead police to him Friday afternoon.

"Incredibly heinous," Bouchard said. "The injuries from the back of the head coming out the front, just a really terrible and tragic situation."

The suspect is being held in jail, awaiting charges. The sheriff couldn’t give a timeline on when exactly the warrant package would be submitted but they’re working on it.

Police are combing through surveillance and ask anyone to come forward or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.