DENVER — The family of the man allegedly shot and killed by an Uber driver on Interstate 25 in Denver has hired a Chicago-based law firm.
Hyun Soo Kim, 45, died after being shot on June 1. His Uber driver, 29-year-old Michael Hancock, is charged with murder.
Francis Patrick Murphy, a lawyer representing the Kim family, said Kim’s wife and son are “devastated and shattered” by the death of their husband and father.
Murphy said Uber has certain rules and regulations, one of which forbids drivers from having a gun in the vehicle.
“There certainly was a cardinal violation of that rule on June 1,” said Murphy.
Murphy is a partner at Corboy & Demetrio, a law firm that has represented clients involved in a number of lawsuits regarding ride-sharing companies.
Last year, the firm represented the estate of a Chicago-area Uber driver who was stabbed to death by a passenger.
“We are well acquainted with Uber and Lyft litigation, so we will be looking at all possible remedies against Uber in this particular case,” he said. “Whether or not Uber would be responsible for the actions of Hancock will be investigated. I’m sure that’s being investigated and analyzed by Uber’s attorneys as we speak.”
Murphy added that Uber was “grossly negligent” in not enforcing its own policy.
“If they had been enforcing this rule and Mr. Hancock did not have a gun, I don’t believe that Mr. Kim would have been shot one or ten times,” he said.
Soo Yeon Lee, Kim’s wife, released a statement on behalf of the Kim family:
“We are deeply sorrowed and devastated by Hyun’s death. We want to thank all the members of the Denver Police Department who have tirelessly investigated his death. We are confident justice will be realized through their efforts. We appreciate the privacy afforded us by all the media as we grieve for the loss of our husband and father.”
Murphy said the Kim family reached out to the firm.
“You can imagine going to bed at night when your husband is out having dinner with an associate, expecting him home at around 1 o’clock in the morning, and you wake up to realize your husband has been shot and killed,” said Murphy.
“They’re both young. They had the rest of their life together. I can’t imagine the environment they’re living in right now.”
Murphy did not comment on claims Kim attacked Hancock.
“I think that would be gross speculation on my part and I would leave that up to the prosecuting attorney,” Murphy said.
