DoorDash driver says he’s lucky to be alive after being shot at during delivery in Tahlequah

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. –

WhiteEagle Jones had only been working for DoorDash for two weeks when his early-morning delivery turned into a terrifying experience.

“At first I went looked at a different house and I was like, no, this ain’t the right one. So I went back, checked the mailbox and made sure it was the right address, walked back up, and that’s whenever he came out.” Jones said.

Jones says the man who lived next door started questioning him about what he was doing.

“He’s calling me a creep and whatnot. And we was just going back and forth. He said, you want the smoke or something like that? And I was like, yeah, I do, but I didn’t think he had a shotgun,” Jones said.

Did the driver try to leave?

Yes. Jones says he turned to walk away, but that’s when he heard the man rack a shotgun.

“I guess he shot right where I was standing,” Jones said.

Was anyone hurt?

No one was hurt, but the gunfire shattered the passenger window of customer Mikela Wells’ car.

“With it being the angle he shot at, it was right next to my daughter’s window. I’m like, what if it would have ricocheted? What if he would have missed or anything like that, and it would have hit the girl’s window?” Wells said.

What does the customer say about what happened?

Wells says she has four kids and uses DoorDash often. She’s still shaken up and says she’s worried about living so close to an elementary school.

“Now I can’t drive the car until we get the window fixed, and windows aren’t cheap, and I’m just really concerned about all of it,” Wells said.

What happens next?

Jones says the incident won’t stop him from working for DoorDash, but it has made him more cautious.

“It’s like I got to be more careful now with what I’m doing, especially just DoorDash, because it was like 5:40-something in the morning,” Jones said.

What did police say?

News On 6’s MaKayla Glenn reached out to The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, which is investigating, but has not heard back.

What does DoorDash say?

“This is an awful situation and we’re relieved to hear that the Dasher and customer were not hurt. We’ve reached out to offer our support and our team is ready to work with law enforcement to help their investigation in any way possible.” 

– DoorDash spokesperson

Safety Background

1. More than 99.99% of all DoorDash deliveries occur without a serious safety incident. In the rare event that something does happen, Dashers can get support through SafeDash – our in-app safety portal – and our specialist 24/7 Trust & Safety team.
2. While we’re constantly working to make dashing even safer, sharing America’s roads means sharing the same challenges. We know that no one is entirely immune from the dangers people face on the road in everyday life.
3. We have a dedicated 24/7 Trust & Safety team that investigates safety incidents and takes all appropriate actions, including reaching out to those involved, providing support and resolutions, and engaging with law enforcement.
4. We work collaboratively and proactively with law enforcement. Our team responds to any valid law enforcement request and provides information when needed, and proactively reaches out on cases where we feel we can be helpful.

SafeDash Background

SafeDash is an in-app toolkit, powered by ADT, to help Dashers feel an even greater peace of mind. We’re constantly working to improve our existing products to help Dashers stay safer on the road including:

1. Safety Reassurance Call: If a Dasher feels unsafe, they can quickly connect with an ADT agent directly through the app. ADT will remain on the line until the Dasher feels safe, and escalate to 911 if needed.
2. Emergency Assistance Button: Dashers can easily swipe a button in SafeDash, prompting ADT to contact 911 on the Dasher’s behalf. ADT can share critical information with emergency services and discreetly remain in touch with the Dasher via text message.
3. SafeDash Check-In: If we detect that a dash is taking longer than expected, we’ll automatically check in to see if the Dashers is okay. If they take a long time to respond or feel unsafe, an ADT safety agent will call them and escalate to 911 if necessary.