Cabbie 'Clinging To Life' After Friday Night Shooting
JAMAICA, N.Y. (1010 WINS/CBS 2) – A livery cab driver is "clinging to life" after being shot seven times by a passenger Friday night, according to the president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers.
Fernando Mateo told 1010 WINS driver Trevor Bell picked up a passenger in front of "Big D's" Car Service in St. Albans, Queens and drove him to Sutter Avenue and 122nd Street in Ozone Park, where he was shot.
Mateo said Black was hit four times in the right leg, twice in the left leg and once in the neck. He also said the passenger stole less than $100 after the shooting and added that there was a working camera inside the vehicle.
Bell, a husband and father of two, had been at the car service, where his boss said that a man had come in and spoken to Bell about an agreed price. The shooting happened five minutes later when Bell was dropping off the passenger, CBS 2's Sean Hennessey reported.
Bell was taken to Jamaica Hospital and is in critical condition.
Livery driver Wasu Adelake said being held up or shot is always on his mind.
"When you have a passenger in the car, especially somebody you don't know, you think about that because something always happens about the money, it's all about the money," Adelake said. "A person that comes into your car, they have a whole motive. It's either that they're coming as a passenger to get to where they are going, or they're coming to harm you, to rob you."
Police are still investigating for a motive.
