A 77-year-old Nigerian Uber driver, Olatunji W. Bolaji, was fatally shot outside a hookah lounge in Philadelphia, United States. Bolaji, a resident of Norristown, Pennsylvania, was on duty around 2 a.m. on Wednesday when he picked up a 22-year-old male passenger outside the Byblos Hookah Bar near Rittenhouse Square in Centre City, according to CBS reports on Friday.
Police reports indicate that shortly after Bolaji picked up the young man, another vehicle, a black Jeep Grand Cherokee believed to have Massachusetts license plates, pulled up behind his SUV. Two men emerged from the Jeep, and one of them opened fire, shooting both Bolaji and his passenger.
Despite sustaining a gunshot wound to the head, Bolaji was able to drive a short distance before his vehicle collided with a pole at the intersection of 17th and Chestnut Streets. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
The passenger, who suffered gunshot wounds to his arm, leg, and stomach, was immediately transported to Jefferson University Hospital and was reported to be in critical condition.
Authorities have stated that the shooting was recorded by surveillance cameras. Investigators are currently working to determine the motive behind the attack and believe a physical altercation may have occurred between the passenger and the suspects prior to the shooting.
