Widow of murdered Uber driver urges killer to 'please turn yourself in'

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A widow made an emotional plea Wednesday to the unknown killer of her husband, an Uber driver who was shot and killed in Southeast Portland in June.

Kelly Kelvin said she is heartbroken after her husband of nearly two decades, 42-year-old Joshua Kelvin, died while trying to provide for his family. Now she wants whoever pulled the trigger to turn themself in. 

"You took my husband, my [kids’] father,” she said. “He was just doing his job and, because of your actions in a split second, my life has totally been turned upside down and changed along with my kids. So I'm begging you, please turn yourself in."

According to police, Joshua was driving a 17-year-old passenger when the pair were shot in a cul-de-sac near SE 130th Place and Ramona Street. The teenage boy was left critically injured.

“These rideshare companies push passenger safety,” Kelly said. “Passenger safety — what about the drivers?"

So far, police have not made any arrests in the shooting. Crime Stoppers is offering a $25 hundred dollar reward for any information that leads to an arrest for the case.

Noah Ernst with the Radio Cab Company said these two companies may be competitors, but “when something happens to anybody who's a private for hire driver, it really impacts all of us."

The incident has called for several changes, including creating a thorough vetting process for passengers, prohibiting third party rides, no longer allowed unaccompanied minors, allowing drivers more time to accept rides, creating an emergency hotline, and mandating cameras inside cars. Cameras are already required for taxis in the city.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is expected to consider the changes before they are taken to city council to become a code.

Ernst said the goal is to “make private for hire transportation as safe as it can be for everybody so that nothing like this ever has to happen again.”

Uber shared the following statement about Kelvin's death:

"The violence against hard-working drivers in our communities is heart-wrenching. Uber is deeply committed to the safety of drivers, and over the years we have taken serious steps to improve safety on the platform including building features like GPS tracking, the ability to chat with a live safety agent, and an in-app emergency button. Our efforts will never stop, and we are committed to continually raising the bar on safety to help protect our communities."