Man shot wife in head during drunken fight in Uber in Queen Anne, police say

SEATTLE – A drunken fight in an Uber ended with a man shooting his wife as the car travelled through Queen Anne early Sunday morning, Seattle police allege.

Cameron Espitia, 31, is being held on investigation of homicide in the death of his wife, 29-year-old Jennifer Espitia.

According to probable-cause documents obtained by Q13 News:

An Uber driver told police that Cameron and Jennifer Espitia were in his Toyota Rav4 shortly after midnight when they got in a vicious argument.

Jennifer Espitia was in the front passenger seat, and Cameron Espitia was in the driver’s-side rear seat cursing at her repeatedly.

The driver said he heard a loud boom, and thought a tire had blown out. He quickly realized it was a gunshot, and saw that Jennifer Espitia was slouched forward and wasn’t moving.

The driver feared for his own life, and kept driving on Cameron Espitia’s orders. Eventually, Cameron Espitia ordered him to pull over, so he stopped and dropped him off near 2nd Ave. W. and West McGraw Pl. and called the police.

Police found Espitia nearby, and he told them he was having a bad night with his wife and said he’d been drinking.

Police found a small pistol in an ankle holster.

Espitia told police he didn’t remember what happened, and said he woke up in the bushes and didn’t know where he was. He later said he had a faint recollection of being in the SUV.

Espitia made his first court appearance Monday afternoon. His bail was set at $3 million.