Terry Wilson
April 18, 2007
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs Gazette
(Colorado Springs, Colorado)
April 21, 2007

Police: Stray bullet killed cab driver

By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE

A cab driver was shot and killed Wednesday night, an innocent 
victim, police said, of a gunbattle that broke out about 10:30 on a 
downtown street.

Terry Lee Wilson, 53, a driver for Yellow Cab Co., died at the 
scene.

Police said there was an exchange of gunfire between two 
groups in the 300 block of Pikes Peak Avenue, and witnesses 
reported hearing 10 to 15 shots. Callers to 911 also reported that 
a Yellow Cab taxi had crashed.

Police found Wilson, who had been on Wahsatch Avenue, dead 
from a gunshot wound. Homicide Sgt. Sal Fiorillo said the driver, 
who had no passenger, was hit by a stray bullet. He died at the 
scene.

"This is a very sad day for Yellow Cab," said Fred Hair, Yellow 
Cab's Colorado Springs general manager. "Our prayers and our 
feelings go out to the family of the driver."

No arrests have been made, and investigators don't know how 
the gunfight began or who was involved, Fiorillo said. Thursday 
afternoon, detectives weren't even sure where the two groups 
were when the shooting occurred.

The mood at the cab company was "very somber" Thursday, 
Hair said. Wilson had been driving for the company for about a 
year and was wellliked by other drivers and his passengers.

Late Wednesday night, after the shooting, cab drivers regularly 
drove by the tapedoff block. One driver pulled over and then 
walked past the tape, only to be escorted back to his car by 
police.

Driving a taxi can be a dangerous business, Hair said. In 2005, 
there was a spate of cabdriver robberies. In 2002, driver Phillip 
Swaba picked up three men at a motel, and he was found later 
that night outside his still-running cab, beaten, with his throat slit.

"If you focused on what might happen to you out there on the 
road, you would not drive," Hair said. "Many of us have an 
attitude of 'It won't happen to us' and that is not always well-
founded."

Several blocks of downtown were closed Wednesday night as 
investigators continued to pore over the scene.

Many drivers were caught off-guard and tried to navigate side 
streets. One driver was very surprised - police said she drove 
through a barricade at Pikes Peak and Corona avenues and into 
a police cruiser about 2 a.m. The driver was arrested on 
suspicion of driving under the influence, police said.

The area is largely commercial, and most businesses were 
closed at the time of the shooting. Some employees came into 
work Thursday morning to find police tape blocking streets and 
bullet holes in windows.

"Of course we're concerned," said Elizabeth Osborne, a stylist at 
The Gallery Hair and Nail Artists at 337 E. Pikes Peak Ave. "It 
interferes with our business, and it makes customers scared."

A gunshot shattered a window in the same building.

"They had to dig a bullet out of our wall," said Robin Reid, 
property manager for Craddock Development Company, the 
building's owner.

It's an area that's trying to revitalize itself, where construction 
and renovation work are evident and shops have opened in 
previously empty buildings. Some said they hope the shooting 
won't tarnish the area's image.

"It probably could've happened anywhere in this day and age," 
said Richard Bacon, production manager at Mercury LDO 
Reprographics at 315 E. Pikes Peak Ave. "But it's certainly a 
little bit scary to have a bullet hole in the door frame."

Investigators are trying to determine if the shootout stemmed 
from a dispute at a bar or club in the area, Fiorillo said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Colorado Springs 
Police Department at 444-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 634-7867.

It was the eighth homicide of the year in the city and the second 
within 24 hours.

Early Wednesday, Dianna Young was stabbed to death in her 
room at the Ranch Motel at 3900 North Nevada Ave. No arrests 
have been made.

Reporter Anthony Lane contributed to this report.

=======================

KKTV-TV Channel 11
(Colorado Springs, Colorado)
April 30, 2007

Few Clues In Cab Driver Murder

Police still looking for leads in cab driver murder.

7:41 AM Apr 30, 2007
Reporter: Lauri Martin

Police are still looking for leads in the murder of a Colorado 
Springs cab driver. He was hit by gunfire, caught in the wrong 
place at the wrong time, nearly two weeks ago on April 18Th.

11 News sat down exclusively with his family. They say they're 
still shocked about his murder. Cherry Griffith shares her favorite 
memories of her older brother, Terry Wilson. "I use to tease him, 
'Why are you driving a cab anyway?' He said, 'It's not hard work 
and I enjoys people.'"

The 53-year-old was a proud father of four. The youngest, Terry 
Jr., looks a lot like his dad. "We go fishing." Terry Jr. 
remembers.

Nearly two weeks ago on a Wednesday night, Wilson was 
driving his cab on Wahsatch. Police say at that same time, they 
believe 3 groups of people were fighting and shooting at each 
other. Wilson got caught in the cross-fire. "We did collect 
numerous surveillance videos from neighboring businesses," 
Detective Rick Gysin with the Homicide Unit says. "There are 
people out there who know what happened, who know who did 
this and we need them to come forward to us."

As for Terry Jr., he's left growing up without a dad. "I love him, I 
miss him. I wish he wasn't in the cab."

"You never get over it," Cherry says choking back her tears. "He 
was well-loved and we miss him." This is the 3rd loss for the 
family in the past few months.

If you know what happened that night of April 18Th, call Crime 
Stoppers at 634-STOP.

This news digest is for informative purposes only. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings on this site are made available without profit for research and education.

[ Back to top ]