Indian-origin Uber driver reported killed by 15-year-old in New York

New York, Sep 9 (IANS) An Indian-origin Uber driver, Kuldip Singh, has been killed allegedly by a 15-year-old as New York City faces rising levels of violence, according to media reports.

Singh, 21, was shot in his car on Saturday and died of his injuries on Wednesday, WABC TV reported.

He had been injured in a shootout between a passenger in his car and the teenager who was also injured in the exchange of fire and remained hospitalised, the station said.

The New York Post reported that police believe the driver was hit by a shot fired by the teen, whose identity has not been revealed as he is a minor.

New York City has so far recorded 1,086 shootings, 314 murders, 1,009 rapes, and 14,783 serious assaults this year, according to police statistics.

The city has seen a spike in violence with last year's murder and serious assault numbers being the worst since 2012 and the reported rapes the most in a year since 2013.

Officials have blamed the rise in crime over the last two years to the Covid-19 pandemic which curtailed the working of the court system.