Trial looms for Pawtucket man accused of fatally shooting cab driver, using bystander as a shield

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — Jury selection has begun in the case of a Pawtucket man accused in the shooting death of a Dorchester cab driver in 2019.

Phillip Foy, 40, approached the cab of Luckinson Oruma, 60, outside the Colonnade Hotel on Huntington Avenue in Boston on June 4, 2019.

Foy entered the vehicle and asked to be driven to Mansfield.

Oruma declined the fare, and Foy stepped out of the cab, opened the driver’s side door and assaulted Oruma, according to witness accounts.

Foy produced a firearm and shot Oruma, and the driver fell to the ground, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Foy stood over him and fired the gun again, entered the cab and drove down Huntington Avenue.

He then turned the cab onto Ring Road and parked the vehicle.

Foy then emptied the firearm and discarded it with the magazine, removed his shoes and sat in front of a Starbucks store.

Police arrived at the scene and Foy allegedly grabbed a bystander in an attempt to shield himself.

Police were able to convince Foy to release his hostage and surrender himself into custody.

Police said that Foy confessed to shooting Oruma, but claimed it was in self-defense.

Foy will face trial at Suffolk County Superior Court.