Like other delivery services, from UberEats to the United States Postal Services, drivers for Amazon are supposed to be unarmed when they’re on the clock. Even though that’s the official policy, we know that some drivers are choosing to carry for self-defense anyway. You can always look for another job if you get fired. You can’t look for another life if you’re killed on the job.
One Ohio driver who ignored the company’s edict in favor of carrying for self-defense ended up having to use his pistol Saturday afternoon when he was the target of an attempted carjacking in Cleveland.
An initial investigation showed that the Amazon driver was working in the area when they were approached by the suspect. The suspect attempted to take the worker’s vehicle at gunpoint.
At some point during the altercation, the suspect was shot by the worker. The suspect tried to drive away in the worker’s vehicle after sustaining the gunshot wound, but crashed the vehicle shortly after driving away.
Cleveland EMS pronounced the suspect dead at the scene.
Cleveland police did not provide any additional details. The identities of the worker and suspect have not been released at this time.
The driver wasn’t arrested, and based on the information provided by police I’d be surprised if he’s charged with a crime. It appears that he was acting to defend himself, not the packages in his truck, given that the suspect still managed to get behind the wheel and drive away before succumbing to his injuries.
So far Amazon isn’t saying anything publicly about the driver’s future with the company. In a short statement released over the weekend, Amazon said, “We are saddened to learn of this tragic incident and are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate.”
Not even a word of support for the driver, or the merest mention of gratitude for the fact that he’s still alive today. You’d think the public relations flunky that wrote this statement would at least have expressed their relief that the driver was uninjured in his encounter with the armed carjacker, but I guess doing that would have complicated matters, since the driver might very well have ended up dead on the side of the road if he had followed company policy.
It’s not like that hasn’t happened before. Just a few months ago another Amazon delivery driver was murdered on the job. Sergay Kubay was shot and killed while delivering packages at an apartment complex in Renton, Washington on January 24th, leaving behind a a wife and two children to mourn his death.
Sergey was part of a large tight-knit family, one of 11 siblings. Nikolay Kubay wants the person responsible for killing his brother behind bars. But right now, he said he can only focus on helping Sergey’s family, and not even think of his own loss.
“Even if I stop and start thinking about him without crying, it’s just impossible. He was really close to me. He was really nice guy,” Nikolay Kubay said.
Sergey’s family is now dealing with an unforeseen loss and the cost that comes with it.
“Amazon definitely has to do something. Nobody is prepared for that. Nobody, nobody,” Nikolay Kubay said.
An Amazon spokesperson said the company has offered its support to Kubay’s family.
“We’re deeply saddened by this terrible crime and are working to support the King County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate,” the spokesperson said in a statement to KING 5. “We’re also in touch with the driver’s family and have offered our support during this difficult time.”
Sergey, a rideshare driver, and cab driver have all been killed on the job so far this year. State lawmakers are now trying to help. Senators discussed a proposed bill earlier this week that would expand death benefits for rideshare drivers.
How about a bill that bars employers from punishing delivery drivers for lawfully carrying while on the clock, especially if they’re using their own vehicle to make deliveries? I’m sure that companies like Amazon, Uber, Lyft, and others that require contractors to be unarmed would object, but this is quite literally a matter of life and death.
These policies are putting drivers at risk, but they’re not likely to change anytime soon. As long as the edict barring drivers from legally carrying remains in effect, however, there will be some contractors who make the choice to carry regardless. Losing a job can be a traumatic experience, but it’s nothing like the pain and misery that loved ones will experience if a driver is killed for the contents of their truck.
