Taxi-Library Memoriam List, Additional Homicides

Additional Taxi Driver Homicides

There have been more than a thousand additional homicides in which the drivers' names were not reported, or where other identifying information was not available. Those deaths (to January 2008) are indicated below, along with cab company managers who were murdered in the course of their work. Also noted here rather than in the main Memoriam list are the hundreds of South African minibus drivers who have died in that country's murderous turf wars.

A taxi driver was stabbed to death in Quezon City, Philippines On January 9, 2008.
Minibus taxi drivers Mandisi Jezile and Armstrong Mayekisowere were murdered while stopped outside houses in Cape Town, South Africa on June 22 and 23, 2007.
A minibus taxi driver was murdered by a passenger in Randfontein, South Africa on June 5, 2007.
The charred remains of a murdered taxi driver and his vehicle were found in Limpopo, South Africa on May 4, 2007.
A cab driver was murdered in Al Quoz, Dubai during April 2007; five men went on trial in January 2008 for the crime.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was shot and killed in Cape Town, South Africa on April 26, 2007.
Mondi Mankebe, a minibus taxi driver, was shot and killed on April 24, 2007 in Kraaifontein, South Africa.
At least two taxi drivers were murdered in Lima, Peru in addition to those listed by name on the Memoriam list, based on a 4/25/07 report in "Living in Peru" about the arrest of a man accused of committing a minimum of five taxi driver homicides.
A South African taxi driver, name not reported, was shot to death at a cab stand on April 23, 2007.
A woman cab driver, name not reported, was shot and killed on March 10, 2007 in Pokrovka, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
A unnamed taxi driver in Shanghai, China was stabbed to death on March 8, 2007.
A Palestinian cab driver was killed by Israeli soldiers at Jenin, West Bank, Palestine according to a report in Le Monde on February 28, 2007.
Two minibus-taxi drivers and four passengers were killed in an attack along the road between Kranskop and Maphumulo in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa on February 22, 2007. They are apparent victims of a long-running dispute over routes and turf.
David Jazile, former chairman of South Africa's Codeta taxi association, was slain outside his home on February 16, 2007 in Harare, Khayelitsha, South Africa. Officials fear that the murder will spark a resurgence of violence in the industry.
A minibus-taxi driver, name not reported, was shot and killed while conveying passengers in Umlazi (Durban) South Africa on January 27, 2007.
Driver Zhao Gang disappeared January 11, 2007 in Shenyang, China and is feared to be the third cab driver murdered in that city in the space of about two weeks.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was shot and killed in DeKalb County, Georgia (USA) on December 31, 2006.
A taxi driver was killed and his cab stolen by a rouge security guard (who also killed another man) on December 28, 2006 in Durban, South Africa.
An unnamed taxi owner-driver was shot and killed in Driefontein, South Africa on December 24, 2006.
Updating the note below on "Seven Drivers in Jamaica," the Jamaica Gleaner reported on November 8, 2006 that 25 drivers had been slain in the previous 18 months, and that more than 130 taxi drivers have been slain since 1998. The police blame illegal cab operations.
Three taxi drivers were murdered in late-October 2006 by gangsters in Lubumbashi, Congo.
A driver identified only as Paul was killed on October 17, 2006 near the Montparnasse station in Paris, France
A taxi driver was killed, probably in October 2006, one of two recently slain in Quininde, Ecuador.
A "z�midjan" motorbike taxi driver, name not reported, was killed and his vehicle stolen October 13, 2006 in the Gb�djrom�d� district of Cotonou, Benin
A Hong Kong taxi driver, name not reported, was robbed and murdered on September 28, 2006.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was shot and killed September 11, 2006 on Williams Road in Kingston, Jamaica.
Ecuamerican Sedan Limo dispacher Rafael Caymayo was murdered in the company offices September 3, 2006 in Newark, New Jersey.
An unidentified driver was killed in Buenaventura, Colombia on August 18, 2006 when passengers apparently left a bomb in his taxi, which detonated a short time later in front of a police station.
A driver, name not reported, was slain by robbers on August 10, 2006 in Mandrosoa Sahalemaka, Madagascar, the second such killing in that country in a month.
In Tuxtla Chico, Chiapas, Mexico a taxi driver was found shot to death on the Tapachula-Ciudad Hidalgo highway during July 2006, name not reported. Another driver, also unnamed, was brutally murdered in Mexico in July; reportedly the murder was mafia-related.
Driver Alain Nzedjeu died in police custody after an argument with his taxi owner in Ndopassi, Douala, Cameroon on July 22, 2006.
Multiple motorbike-taxi drivers were killed by a gang during July 2006 in Nzerekore, Guinea. Local residents later lynched the suspected assailants.
A driver who died of injuries folowing an attack by passengers July 25, 2006 at Anosizato, Madagascar.
An unspecified number of taxi drivers were slain by a gang of criminals preying on drivers in four cities in Pakistan during the first half of 2006.
An unidentified taxi driver was slain by auto theives in the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan during April 2006.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was murdered in Algeria near Bouzeguene during April 2006.
An unknown number of taxi drivers were slain in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (India) by a man suspected of more than 50 murders, and who was himself killed by police in Delhi on April 18, 2006.
Taxi driver Zeki Tovi was killed March 25, 2006 in Pacific Beach, California when another motorist ran a stop sign and hit the taxicab; the motorist later pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter.
Dharamraj Tengur died in a suspicious cab fire on March 6, 2006 in Calebasses, Mauritius.
An unidentified taxi driver was found dead in Los Palos Grandes (Caracas) Venezuela February 8, 2006.
A taxicab driver, name not reported, was murdered January 26, 2006 in Minhang District, China.
A taxi driver, initials MK, was slain in Constantine, Algeria when he was hit by a bullet fired at someone else on January 21, 2006.
A taxi driver was murdered January 3, 2006 in the Nu�ez community of Colonia Escal�n, El Salvador
Several Cochin, India tourist taxicab drivers were maimed, killed or missing during "the past couple of years" in abductions by criminal gangs.
A Palestinian taxicab driver died along with a passenger when a second passenger detonated a suicide bomb at an Isreali checkpoint near Tulkarem in the West Bank on Dec. 29, 2005.
A cab driver, name not reported, was slain December 21, 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona
An unidentified motorbike taxi driver was murdered along with two passengers in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2005
An unlicensed taxicab driver, name not reported, was slain on December 20, 2005 in North Baltimore, Maryland
Koos Selepe, a South African minibus driver was murdered at Harrismith, Free State on December 4, 2005
Four unnamed drivers were slain in Tegucigalpa, Honduras during the first 15 days of October 2005, not including Elmer Mauricio Fuentes who was the fifth slain in the 15-day period.
Four drivers were slain in Cochabamba, Bolivia year-to-date, names not reported and not including Pastor Tola Quenta (9/5/05) who was the fifth slain in that city during 2005.
A taxi driver was murdered when he was approached by a man who, without a word, shot him several times in San Salvador, El Salvador on September 10, 2005.
A driver was killed in Tatabanya, Hungary on September 20, 2005 as reported by Radio Hungary.
A Detroit taxicab driver was shot to death while driving his cab September 19, 2005, name not reported.
An unidentified taxi driver was stabbed to death on September 11, 2005 in Beijing, China by a beserk passenger who then used the cab to run down pedestrians.
A taxi driver was slain by a band of criminals September 4, 2005 in Antananarivo, capital of the Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) as reported by the Xinhuanet news service 9/5/05.
An unnamed taxi driver was shot and killed August 31, 2005 off Carmichael Road in Nassau, Bahamas.
A taxi driver was killed along with four passengers in Kandkot, Pakistan on September 3, 2005 when his cab was fired on by unknown assailants.
17 taxi drivers were slain during the first half of 2005 in Cali, Colombia according to El Pais, online newspaper of Cali 8/14/05.
An unnamed taxi driver was slain in a shootout after militants hired his cab in an attack on a shrine at Ayodhya (India) July 5, 2005.
A jitney driver, name not available, was slain by a passenger in Bisquayne Gardens, Florida on June 1, 2005.
A taxi driver was murdered during May 2005 in Shanghai, China, name not reported.
At least 18 taxi drivers (names not reported) in the vicinity of Aligarh, India were murdered by a serial killer who admitted 19 driver homicides (including Manohar whose death is noted in the Memoriam list above.) Police believe that the same killer, a physician, is responsible for 50 taxi driver murders during a few year period prior to June 2005.
Seven drivers in Jamaica were murdered during 2005, in addition to the six noted below and five already identified by name on the Memoriam list, based on Jamaica Constabulary Force crime statistics as reported in The Jamaica Gleaner 8/18/2006 which says that 18 drivers were slain in 2005. JCF recorded a total of 95 taxi driver murders between 1998 and August 18, 2006.
Six unnamed cab drivers were slain in Spanish Town, Jamaica between January 1 and May 26, 2005 according to a news report on the 5/26/05 murder of Vernald Griffiths.
A Palestinian taxi driver, name not reported, was killed by Israeli soldiers following a hit-and-run fatality at a roadblock near Hebron.
As many as 20 unnamed taxi drivers were targeted by a serial killer in the Afghan cities of Kabul and Jalalabad; an arrest was reported in April 2005.
Two drivers identified only as Zhang and Si were slain by the same gang during March 2005 in the Chaoyang District of China. The killers were executed in Beijing in 2006.
A taxi driver in Bendigo (Victoria) Australia died in his cab on March 31, 2005 after a fight with a passenger.
South African minibus taxi driver Lungisile Dyakopu on March 21, 2005 was slain during the fifth violent taxi-war incident in three days.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain February 4, 2005 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Felix Naiman, owner of MosCab of Moscow, Russia was murdered in early 2005, apparently by gangsters associated with competing taxi operations.
Bhekinkosi Wonderboy Mkhize was shot and killed January 28, 2005 in Clermont, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa (apparently a minibus driver, though the crime is said not to be related to the ongoing turf wars).
A 56-year old driver, name not reported, was reported killed in May 2005 during a robbery in Ciudad de la Costa, Uruguay.
A cab driver in Khorramabad, Iran, name not reported, was slain in 2005. The assailant was hanged in June 2007.
A cab driver in Iran, name not reported, was slain trying to prevent his cab from being stolen, probably early in 2005. The assailant was hanged in Ahwaz, Iran on May 2, 2005.
10 drivers in Jamaica were killed during 2004, beyond five already noted by name on the Memoriam list, based on Jamaica Constabulary Force crime statistics as reported in The Jamaica Gleaner 8/18/2006, which says that 15 drivers were slain in 2004. JCF recorded a total of 95 taxi driver murders between 1998 and August 18, 2006.
An unnamed man, possibly the driver, was found dead in the boot of a burning taxi 12/25/04 in the Tin Shui Wai area of Hong Kong.
Drivers Mandlenkosi Mbongwa and Bethwel Mdunge were killed in the continuing minibus turf wars of South Africa.
A driver in Bogota, Columbia was killed when a roadside bomb exploded on October 29, 2004.
A 25-year-old taxi driver was shot to death September 24, 2004 in Kitwe, Zambia.
An unidentified cab driver in Khandahar, Afghanistan was killed September 3, 2004 when a bomb exploded in another car as he drove past in his taxi.
An unnamed taxi driver was killed by a police officer in Namibia July 2004.
Ten taxi drivers, their fates unknown, were abducted in June 2004 by armed Kurds from the bus station in Samara, Iraq to avenge the murder of Kurdish recruits to the Iraqi army.
A taxi driver was murdered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 21, 2004, name not reported.
A taxi driver was killed while attempting to evade a US military check point in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 8, 2004.
A driver, name not reported, was shot and killed during a robbery in Pretoria, South Africa on January 26, 2004.
A driver, name not reported, was slain during a robbery in Rosslyn, South Africa on March 7, 2004.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in San Felix, Guayana during 2004.
Thirty drivers were slain in the Galacia region of Spain between 1993-2004; the only one identified by name is Daniel Chans Otero, date unknown.
Trinidad and Tobago driver Elwyn Sampsonwas killed; date of the murder unknown but probably between 2000-2004; the killer was sentenced in 2005.
A taxicab driver was murdered in the 700 block of Townsend Avenue in Santa Ana, California on November 21, 2004, name not reported.
An unidentified taxi driver was slain in Baja, Mexico during December 2003 by a former police officer who was also charged with two other murders.
Moscow taxi driver Sergei Bagdasaryan was killed by a passenger in December 2003. The female passenger was convicted of murder, though the court found that there had been an attempted sexual assault by the driver. Two years later her conviction was overturned. The driver's family asked that the case be reopened, but the appeal was denied.
A taxi driver was killed 12/26/03 in Mosul Iraq, apparently in crossfire between US soldiers and Iraqis.
An additional 24 taxi drivers were slain during 2003 in Coroni, Venezuela as reported in a news item on the death of the 25th victim, driver Guillermo Ramon Towers Martinez, 12/13/03.
12 drivers, names not reported, were slain in Islamabad, Pakistan during 2003.
An unnamed man, presumably a taxi driver, was found shot to death behind the wheel of an out-of-service taxi in Los Angeles, November 2003.
Camden, NJ cab company owner Carlos Diaz was murdered during a burglary of his home/office on November 17, 2003; one of his former workers was among those charged in the crime.
Eight unidentified cab drivers were slain in Tegucigalpa, Honduras during the second week of November 2003 according to a press report, as well as five cab drivers murdered in Tegucigalpa during the first five months of 2004.
An unnamed motorbike taxi driver was slain during an August 2003 robbery in Ha Tay province, Vietnam.
Seven cab drivers, names unknown, were killed by a terrorist bomb blast in Bali, Indonesia during October 2002.
Two livery drivers were victims of a random killing spree in New York October 21, 2002.
Taxi driver Premkumar Walekar, killed 10/3/02 at a gas station in Aspen Hill, Maryland was one of 7 people murdered in the Washington DC area by a random sniper.
A unnamed taxi driver was slain in Zimbabwe probably in 2002, based on a news report about the killer's death sentence.
A Pakistani taxicab driver working in Saudi Arabia was slain by a passenger during 2002, name not reported.
Twenty Russian taxi drivers were murdered by a gang, which included a girl, in the cities of Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Achinsk, Nazarovo, Sochi, and Tomsk. The gang leader was arrested in 2002. The motive for the crimes was to steal the cabs for sale to second-hand parts dealers.
Two drivers in Hungary were killed during May 2001, one in Budapest and the other in Nagykanizsa.
Two drivers, names not reported, were slain in Singapore during 2000. One was stabbed near Chestnut Avenue, the other was murdered at Pasir Ris Drive 1.
155 taxi drivers, names unknown, were murdered in India during 2000 according to the Times of India April 22, 2001.
95 taxi drivers, names unknown, were murdered in Calcutta, India during 1997-1999 according to a report in Bengal-On-The-Net, May 17, 1999.
15 drivers in Jamaica were killed during 1998 according to Jamaica Constabulary Force crime statistics as reported in The Jamaica Gleaner 8/18/2006. JCF recorded a total of 95 taxi driver murders between 1998 and August 18, 2006.
A cab driver, name not reported, was slain by a 13-year old girl in New York City's Harlem district during 1997.
A unnamed Hungarian taxi driver was slain near Ferihegy Airport by two 14-year old girls in 1997.
Four drivers were slain in Newark, NJ during 1995, names not reported.
An additional 24 US drivers were slain during 1993, names unknown; based on BLS statistics for 1993 but not accounted for in the list of driver names for that year.
Three taxicab drivers, names not reported, were slain in Buffalo, New York during February 1991, December 1991 and March 1997.
Approximately 209 additional taxicab, livery and gypsy cab drivers, names unknown, were murdered in New York City during the years 1986-96; the estimate is based on press and official tallies of the number of drivers slain during each year of the period; note that these are in addition to deaths accounted for in the notes regarding BLS and NIOSH statistics.
29 additional US drivers, names unknown, were murdered in the US other than in NYC during the years 1980-96 based on press reports that did not identify the slain driver; note that these are in addition to those accounted for elsewhere based on BLS and NIOSH statistics.
Two Iowa cab drivers were slain in Council Bluffs during the late 1980s, and one was slain in Des Moines in 1996 (see also Robert Scott murdered in the same year).
Ten drivers, names unknown, were slain in Chicago 1982-94 based on research performed by The Chicago Dispatch.
Exavor Giller, owner of the Greater Detroit Cab Company, was murdered June 19, 1989 during a home invasion robbery in Livonia, Michigan. In 2005 police arrested a former driver for the cab company in connection with the murder.
Four drivers were slain in Philadelphia during 1988, names unknown.
Three drivers, names not reported, were slain in Washington, DC during the summer of 1986.
Eighteen drivers were slain in Paris, France in the years 1979-1986 based on reporting in Le Monde Oct 13 and 24, 1987.
Three drivers were slain in Houston during 1985, names unknown.
A cab driver was slain in Brussels Belgium during 1985, name not reported; one of 28 victims of a notorious gang.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC sometime during 1985 in addition to the two others noted below.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC on August 8, 1985.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Richmond VA on August 2, 1985.
A woman driver, name not known, was slain in the mid-1980s in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC during January 1985.
An estimated 140 additional US taxicab drivers and chauffeurs were slain during the years 1980-86, names unknown, based on NIOSH totals for those years; note that these are cases not accounted for among the name-not-known cases described in these notes as based on other sources.
A driver, name not reported, was murdered in El Paso, Texas during February 1979.
Four drivers, names not reported, were slain in Washington, DC over the space of two days during 1979.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Richmond VA on September 10, 1977.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC on March 19, 1976.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC on January 8, 1970.
A woman taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC during 1970.
Four NYC drivers, names unknown, were slain in 1970.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC during 1969.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Alexandria VA during March 1968.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Galax VA on March 17, 1968.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Richmond VA on January 22, 1968.
A taxi driver was killed during a confrontation between students and police on September 23, 1967 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC on July 9, 1967.
A second taxi driver, name not reported, is believed to have been murdered in Washington DC sometime during 1967 (but possibly in another place near Washington).
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Essex MD sometime during 1967.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Mt. Ranier MD during October 1965.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in West Germany during 1965, allegedly by a US citizen.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC during 1964.
An unidentified taxi driver was murdered in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia as reported in the Toronto Star on September 8, 1964
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Hyattsville (Virginia?) on December 20, 1963 as reported in the Washington Post.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Warrenton VA on June 24, 1961.
A Paris, France taxi driver, name not reported, was killed by Algerian terrorists as reported in the Toronto Star on January 13, 1960.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Norfolk VA during March 1960.
In 1955 a driver, name not reported, was killed in Germany. A US soldier was sentenced to death for the crime, but the conviction was reversed on appeal.
A male driver, name not known, was shot to death during the 1950s in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Amherst VA during 1952.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Martinsville VA during October 1948.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Baltimore MD on May 26, 1948.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Washington DC during February 1948 (by the same man who killed DC driver Howard Jones the same month).
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Pittsburgh PA during February 1948.
An unnamed taxi driver was slain in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during January 1948.
32 chauffeurs in Rumania were murdered in the space of one year by a man sentenced to death for the crimes as reported in the Toronto Star on March 4, 1946.
A driver, name unknown, was one of two drivers murdered by Michel Watrin who was executed by guillotine July 12, 1950. The murder was on December 6, 1946 in Chalon-sur-Saone, France.
A driver, name unknown, was killed by Anselme Schuler who was executed by guillotine August 2, 1947. The murder was probably in Metz, France in 1946.
A driver was killed in Harlan, Kentucky with the killer's trial held during May 1942. The assailant was murdered in the courtroom by the slain driver's nephew.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Troy NY during 1937.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in 1932 probably in Washington DC as the crime was reported in the Washington Post.
Barney Mitchell, secretary-treasurer of Chicago Checker Cab, was slain January 30, 1930. He was apparently a victim of the notorious taxi war between Checker and Yellow Cab.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Cicero IL on July 12, 1926.
A taxi driver, name not reported, was slain in Charlotte, NC during August 1924.
A Tacoma Washington taxicab driver was slain in 1922 or 1923, name not reported.

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