A New Orleans Police Department employee who drove for Uber in her time off was stabbed to death by a passenger on Thursday, authorities said.
According to Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, Yolanda Dillion, 54, picked up an Uber passenger in New Orleans and drove to Jefferson Parish.
After the ride was over, the passenger repeatedly stabbed Dillion, according to Lopinto’s office.
The stabbing was reported just before 3 p.m. on Thursday, and sheriff’s deputies found Dillion wounded in a hotel parking lot. After being taken to a hospital, she died, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s officials said an arrest was made at the hotel within hours of the stabbing. Police say the suspect admitted stabbing Dillion and has been charged with second-degree murder.
A financial budget analyst for the New Orleans Police Department, Dillion worked as an Uber driver in her free time, Lopinto said.
During a news conference with Lopinto on Friday, Chief Shaun Ferguson said the fiscal unit is “taking it pretty hard” as a result of Dillion’s death.
“She will be dearly missed,” added Ferguson.
Uber is “extremely disturbed by this senseless attack,” said the company’s spokesperson in an email to reporters.
“Our thoughts are with Yolanda’s family, and we are reaching out to them to offer condolences and support. We are actively working with the police on their investigation,” reads the email.
According to online records, the suspect is being held without bail in Jefferson Parish jail.