A routine Uber pickup in Antioch turned terrifying last Thursday when a driver was shot in the neck while pulling up to get riders, then somehow managed to drive himself to safety and call 911. He is expected to survive, but the incident has piled more anxiety onto an already tense start to the new year in the city.
According to NBC Bay Area, police believe the driver was not the intended target. He was struck in the neck, got away from the scene, then called 911 and was taken for medical treatment. Authorities told the outlet he is expected to recover. In a statement, Uber called the shooting a brazen act of violence and said the company would support law enforcement in the investigation.
Child Struck Days Earlier
The gunfire on the Uber driver came just days after an 11-year-old Antioch girl was hit by gunfire while her family drove to the grocery store. The bullet came through a rear window at an apartment complex on Delta Fair Boulevard, and the child was rushed to the Children’s Hospital Oakland. Officials say her condition has been improving. Police have described that shooting as a case of mistaken identity while detectives work to identify suspects, per Hoodline.
Officials Respond as City Grapples With Early-January Gunfire
Antioch Mayor Ron Bernal called both incidents tragic and said city leaders were "surprised and shocked" because homicides, shootings and auto thefts all dropped significantly last year, NBC Bay Area reported. Bernal said he believes the recent shootings are isolated, though he acknowledged they are a rough way to start 2026.
Hoodline later reported that a suspect in the child shooting turned himself in and now faces attempted homicide and related charges, a development that has pushed public safety concerns back to the forefront in Antioch. That report also notes that the Antioch Police Department is asking anyone with information about either incident to come forward, with investigators providing a tip line and an email address for witnesses. Both early-January shootings remain under active investigation as officers gather evidence and track down additional leads.
