Passenger says he was shot in the head after asking DeKalb Lyft driver to make an extra stop

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man says he tried adding an extra stop to a Lyft ride he was taking more than two years ago when he says the driver shot him in the head.

Emmanuel Hollins told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington that he was taking a Lyft to work at a DeKalb County apartment complex on Candler Road in December 2020.

During the ride, he says he added a stop. He says that’s when the driver, Mashelle Rucker, started accusing him of trying to skip out on paying for the ride and went into a rage.

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According to the legal complaint, Hollins overheard Rucker call someone and say “something was about to go down” before telling him “you won’t see 2021.”

He told Washington that he got of the car at his destination and took less than five steps before he felt a bullet hit the back of his head.

“I didn’t even know that you had a gun pointed at me, but even still, I wasn’t acting out. I wasn’t waving my hands or anything,” Hollins said.

The shooting left Hollins legally blind in his right eye.

Rucker was arrested after the incident and charged with aggravated assault but was released on bond and has not been indicted.

“We want the perpetrator to be prosecuted,” attorney Mike Jones said.

“My life has changed and it’s not going back to how it was,” Hollins said. “These last two years have been hell.”

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The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office released a statement to Washington that read:

“The case in question is still being investigated by the Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney. Our office takes this case seriously. The prosecutor and her team made initial contact with Mr. Hollins soon after the incident and have made attempts to have regular contact with him since early 2021. Charges are forthcoming pending the receipt of records required from Mr. Hollins and his attorney.”

Hollins and his attorney say they are also suing Lyft.

In an email, a Lyft spokesperson confirmed that Rucker is no longer driving for the company and shared their background check and safety policies.

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