UberEATS driver sentenced to life for killing customer

ATLANTA – An Atlanta food delivery driver has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting an UberEATS customer.

Media outlets report 36-year-old Robert Bivines was sentenced last week after a jury found him guilty of charges including malice murder.

Bivines turned himself in to authorities in February, days after the shooting. Police said 30-year-old Ryan Thornton had ordered delivery from UberEATS and went outside his Buckhead apartment complex for his food. Investigators say witnesses told them Thornton and the driver exchanged words before the shooting.

Bivines had worked as an UberEATS driver for about a week. His attorney said Bivines “had no choice but to defend himself” when Thornton became irate and aggressive over his order. Uber has a “no weapons” policy for its drivers, but Bivines said he carried a gun to protect himself.