Dad says shooting death of NYC Uber driver ‘lies in the lap of the city’
The father of the Uber driver who was fatally shot in the head over the weekend blamed the city for his son’s death — accusing officials of not doing enough to stem runaway violence in the Big Apple.
“The blame lies in the lap of the city,” Bir-Bahadur Singh railed to The Post Wednesday — a day after his son, Kuldip Singh, 21, died of his injuries. “How can I blame anything else?
“I am frustrated with the violence in the city,” he continued. “I live in New York City and this is what I blame. We have been contributing to the city since we arrived, and this is what we get?”
The heartbroken father also lashed out at the 15-year-old boy that police believe was the triggerman in the shooting late Saturday in Harlem.
“If he killed my son, he should be dead,” the elder Singh said. “Age should not be a factor. If he did it, he is responsible.”
Kuldip Singh had only been driving for the ride-share company for about a month when he was caught in the crossfire between the teen and a passenger in his car, police sources said.
He was struck in the head and remained unresponsive at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital until he was declared dead Tuesday, police confirmed.
The 15-year-old suspected gunman, who was wounded in the exchange, was taken into custody and is being held at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in stable condition.
Police have not announced charges in the case.
Bir-Bahadur Singh said his son, the youngest of three siblings, lived with his parents in Queens and was their sole provider — while also sending money home to his brother and sister in their native India to help them make ends meet.
The dad said cops knocked on his door after the shooting, and he had a friend drive him to the hospital where his son was fighting for his life in the intensive care unit.
“I looked at him,” he said. “His head was wrapped in a bandage. The bandage was red. It was full of blood. He never opened his eyes. He was hooked up to machines.
“My whole world came crashing down on me,” he said. “I touched his face. I talked to him. I touched his hands, his legs. But there was no movement. I was just calling my son’s name. I felt like I was going to die with him.”
Doctors told the family that there was nothing they could do — because the bullet fragmented when it hit Kuldip Singh, shattering inside his head into “more than 100 pieces,” the dad said.
Bir-Bahadur Singh said his son migrated from Punjab, India in 2018 and worked hard to help his family, including his brother, 24, and his sister, 26, back home.
“I was proud of my son,” he said. “He was the breadwinner of the house. He was the only one working. He was a good son. He was an exemplary kid.”
The younger Singh’s death struck hard with family friends as well, who gathered Wednesday at the kin’s Richmond Hill home to comfort the mourning parents.
“The parent is supposed to die before the son, so when you are carrying the body of your son for cremation, that’s the last thing you want in your life,” family friend Harpreet Singh Toor said.
“You look forward to getting your kids married and have grandkids live with you, and he has been robbed of all of that for no fault of his,” Toor said.
Mohid Arora, another acquaintance, also bemoaned the violence that took Kuldip.
“Where did he get the gun from?” Arora wondered. “They have to find where he got the gun and ask how he got the gun.”
“We need to stop the gun violence,” the pal added. “It doesn’t matter if you are Asian, black or white. We are all human.”
A rep for City Hall didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
