Police have arrested a Uber driver accused of killing one of his passengers and critically injuring another after an argument outside a northeast Atlanta gas station.
Nigel Nembhard, 36, was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault following his interview Wednesday at police headquarters. Nembhard was cooperating with detectives and was initially detained at the scene early Wednesday morning, according to Atlanta police.
Uber confirmed it has removed Nembhard from its app. The rideshare company has a no-firearms policy that applies to both drivers and riders, and anyone who violates the policy may lose access, according to the company.
“What police are reporting is deeply concerning,” a spokesman for Uber said in a statement. “We’ve banned the driver from the app and will work with law enforcement on their investigation.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Officers were called to the Chevron station at the corner of Monroe Drive and Piedmont Circle about 5 a.m. Wednesday and found two men lying shot in the parking lot. Nembhard was still in his vehicle and waiting for police at a location across the street, Lt. Daniel Genson said from the scene.
“We were able to determine there was three people that were passengers of a rideshare vehicle,” said Genson, who command’s APD’s homicide unit. “At some point, there was an argument inside the vehicle with the driver. That argument ultimately ensued to gunfire.”
One passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and later identified as Kevin Leonard Fulton, 36, of Atlanta, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. A second was taken to Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center, where he was in critical condition but stable Wednesday morning. The third left before police arrived, but Genson said he does not think he will be difficult to locate.
No updates were provided Thursday on the injured and missing passengers.
Genson said evidence suggests they were standing outside the vehicle when they were shot, and the bullets were fired from inside the car. Detectives were investigating self-defense as a possible motive, but later “established probable cause to charge the shooter in this case,” a police spokesman said Thursday.
Nembhard was being held on his charges in the Fulton County Jail.
— Please return to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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