Uber driver killed by 60-shot hail of gunfire meant for someone else, Oregon cops say
An Uber driver was waiting to pick up a late-night rider outside a home in northeast Portland over the weekend when a torrent of gunfire erupted, bullets shattering glass and striking the 23-year-old as he sat behind the wheel, outlets report.
Dhulfigar Kareem Mseer was rushed to a hospital by ambulance after midnight Saturday but was pronounced dead Thursday from a gunshot wound, according to the Oregon State Medical Examiner. His death has been ruled a homicide.
Portland police say more than 60 shots were fired at Mseer.
Mseer, an Iraqi refugee who recently married, is believed to be the victim of gang-related violence, but not the intended target of it, investigators told OregonLive. The ambush was likely meant for someone else.
Mseer’s uncle, Alaa Adham, said the young man was working hard, in large part, to pay for a lawyer to help his wife immigrate to America, OregonLive reported.
“I can’t think. I’m very overwhelmed. I can’t eat,” Adham said. “I’m very angry, of course, because we came all the way from Iraq looking for peace, and see what we got.”
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Rico Beniga at 503-823-0457, or email Rico.Beniga@portlandoregon.gov, or contact Detective Scott Broughton at (503) 823-3774, Scott.Broughton@portlandoregon.gov