Video shows shots fired at Uber driver, passenger in West Garfield Park – NBC Chicago

Uber driver John Williams is still trying to understand what happened to him and his passenger in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.

“It’s an experience that no one wants to go through,” he said. “You don’t know if you’re going to live or die.”

The 52-year-old driver, who lives in Bensenville, had just picked up a passenger near Gladys and Homan avenues around midnight on March 17 when the trip took a dangerous turn.

“I parked, she gets out, about 30 seconds later she gets in the car and tells me to go, go, he’s getting ready to shoot,” he said. “I’m walking away and then I hear two gunshots and I didn’t know if I was shot or if she was the one shooting.”

Williams said he stepped on the gas, hit speed bumps and ran through stop signs, not knowing where the bullets were coming from and why the man outside was shooting at them.

“I just started going crazy,” he said. “I just left and it was just a terrifying experience. I mean, I have over 12,000 Uber rides, which has never happened before.

The passenger in the backseat seen in the dashcam video told him she would call the police. Williams left stunned and shocked in the driver’s seat.

“She just said he was an ex-boyfriend, that’s all,” he said. “He was just standing there, I guess he didn’t know how to shoot. Thank God it was a bad shot.”

In the weeks following the incident, Williams said he was trying to heal mentally and emotionally from the traumatic experience.

“It’s a slow process that brings up anxiety, anger, sometimes I have trouble sleeping at night,” he said. “I’m trying to seek professional help to talk to someone and get through the process.”

Uber released a statement to NBC Chicago about the incident, saying: “The images of this attack are shocking and we cannot imagine how terrifying this experience was. We are very grateful that no one was injured and have been in contact with the driver to check. Our dedicated team is ready to assist police in any way they can.

Williams said he is grateful to be alive to tell this story.

“As an Uber driver in Chicago, you always have to be on top of everything,” he said. “All my fellow Uber drivers, be safe, be vigilant, watch your back.”

Williams hopes to start driving for Uber again so he can save money to start his trucking business.

A GoFundMe page raised more than $300 for him. Williams said the money would help pay for therapy and counseling sessions.