An Uber driver was driving three passengers home in Northeast D.C. last Friday night when shots rang out.
"Suddenly I heard a noise. Boom, boom, boom, like this," said the driver, who wished to remain anonymous.
The gunman fired multiple shots at the Uber ride in the D.C. Brookland neighborhood on July 5, injuring the driver and sending passengers running.
When he first heard the gunshots, the driver said he thought they were fireworks. Then he looked down and saw that his hand was bleeding.
"Thanks to god I am alive right now," he said. "Everything happened in seconds, and I was in a panic. I was afraid."
Doctors later told him that the bullet broke 10 bones in his left middle finger, he said.
The victim hit the gas and tried to drive away, but the car stalled, leaving him trapped. Eventually, the shooter ran away and is still on the loose.
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The driver said he has no enemies and doesn't know why someone would shoot him.
"It's possible that someone knew that I would be driving there, what route I'm driving. I hope in a short time the detectives will identify and will learn why they did it," he said.
The driver came to America a few years ago to give his kids a good education, he said. He works full time and drives Uber on the side to make ends meet.
Now, he worries about getting behind the wheel.
"If I start driving again for Uber for a while, who can guarantee it's not going to happen again?" he said.
The shooting also injured one of the passengers in the car. Shards of glass from the broken window caused several cuts on her face.
D.C. police are still investigating to find the shooter.
