William Brock: Police release body cam footage of Ohio man who shot dead Uber driver in horrific tragedy
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
CHARLESTON, OHIO: William Brock, an 81-year-old man accused of fatally shooting an Uber driver, Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, 61, under the mistaken belief that she was part of a scam operation, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, felonious assault, and kidnapping.
The entire confrontation, which was captured on Hall's dashcam as well as bodycam footage of police who rushed to Brock's house, has been released now.
The scam turned deadly after Lo-Letha Toland-Hall arrived to 'pick a package'
Brock informed the police that he had been plagued by threatening phone calls throughout the day before Toland-Hall’s arrival. He has pleaded not guilty to her murder.
According to the police, the driver was also an innocent victim of a scam. She was dispatched to Brock’s South Charleston home via the Uber app to "pick up a package," as reported by Daily Mail.
Brock told the police that he had spent "a couple of hours" on the phone with a man who claimed to have a nephew in jail who needed bail money.
"I'm sure glad to see you guys out here cause I've been on this phone for a couple of hours with this guy saying I had a nephew in jail, had a wreck in Charleston and he just kept hanging on, needing bond money and this woman was supposed to," explained William Brock on Clark County Sheriff's deputy's body camera, as reported by WKEF.
"So it was a scam," said the sheriff's deputy. "Yeah I figured it, I kept getting different names and different stories out of him," said Brock.
The scammer’s call
Once inside the home, an officer attempted to call the scammer back with the conversation recorded on camera.
“May I ask who I am talking to?” Clark County Detective Cruz asked, to which a voice on the other end claimed he was "the officer."
When she pressed for a name, the man evaded her question and warned her, "You’re going to be in trouble." She then asked, "Okay. Let me ask you this, the female that you sent over here, do you know who she is?"
"Yes I do," said the scammer confirmed. According to a police report, the number was registered to the phone company Bell Mobility in Canada.
Brock pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, felonious assault, and kidnapping during a court appearance at a Clark County court on Wednesday, April 17.
He had previously told the police that the scammer had demanded $12,000 and threatened his as well as his family’s life.
A 911 call wherein William Brock claimed scammer was 'going to kill me, my family'
A chilling 911 call made after the fatal shooting reveals Brock explaining how he had been inundated with threatening calls before Toland-Hall’s arrival.
“He was telling me he was going to kill me, my family and everybody else,” Brock explained.
When Toland-Hall arrived to collect the package, Brock shockingly brandished a gun and demanded she identify who had sent her. He also allegedly took her phone and wouldn’t let her leave.
A scuffle broke out between the two, during which Brock shot Toland-Hall at least three times. She suffered wounds to the upper left side of her torso, left thigh, inside of her left knee, and the center mass of her sternum.
As Toland-Hall tried to get back to her car, Brock shot her. She can also be heard screaming in pain while Brock threatened to "shoot the other leg."
Brock claimed she attacked him after he fired the first shot by slamming his head into her car door.
He shot her again as she tried to escape because, according to him, he believed she was about to retrieve a weapon of her own.
William Brock suspected Lo-Letha Toland-Hall was there to take his money
Brock told deputies - "without being asked" as they put it - that Hall was there to "take [my] money."
“He provided he didn’t want to shoot her but he thought she was going to kill him,” the incident report said.
The mother-of-one from Columbus, Ohio, was rushed to the hospital, but died during surgery.
“This is a horrific tragedy and our hearts continue to be with Lo-Letha’s loved ones as they grieve,” Uber said in a statement adding that the account of the person who hired Hall has been banned.
“We have been in contact with law enforcement and remain committed to supporting their investigation,” Uber said.