‘I still feel like I’m living a nightmare’: An Amazon Flex driver says she pulled up to a dark house, saw a man with a gun and was shot twice 

An Amazon Flex courier says a gunman wounded her twice on a pre-dawn run in Cedar Hill, a city south of Dallas. According to FOX 4, Yirmar Martinez was bringing a package to a home off North Cedar Hill Road on Monday, Oct. 12, when a man with a gun opened fire. Police have confirmed an arrest, though charges have not been announced.

Martinez told the station she flipped on her high beams while searching for the front door, then eased toward an access road next to the house. She noticed a man holding a gun and lifted her Amazon vest. He replied in English, a language she did not follow, and then started firing.

A bullet skimmed her scalp, and a second hit her lower back. She says she sped away while he kept firing. Cedar Hill police are holding her vehicle as evidence, and she spoke with officers on Thursday afternoon.

Driver describes a dark property and the escape

In an interview with a Spanish-language station, Martinez stated that it was around 5 a.m., the property was dark, and she could hardly make out the door. Her husband, who was also delivering that morning, was on a video call with her. She told him she was scared, and she stated that she did not realize at first that she had been hit.

On the video call, her husband told her to keep going. “I still feel like I’m living a nightmare,” she stated. She had worked for Amazon Flex for about six months and chose early shifts so her young son spends less time in the car with her, the station stated. Martinez moved to Texas from Venezuela two years ago. The program lets drivers use their own vehicles as independent contractors.

Police in Cedar Hill acknowledged an arrest to both stations and stated they are still investigating. Officers have not named the suspect, and no motive has been reported. Amazon stated that “the safety of delivery partners is a top priority” and that it has been in touch with Martinez about available support. The company added that it will assist police.

Its driver safety page states that partners can contact Driver Support if they feel unsafe, and that no one should be expected to complete a delivery they consider unsafe. It also lists a feature that asks customers to keep walkways well lit when a driver is about to arrive.

Delivery workers have faced gunfire in other Texas incidents recently. In north Houston on Oct. 4, Houston police stated that a man shot at a woman delivering an Amazon package and hit her vehicle. Last month in Austin, an ICE agent shot a DoorDash driver in a separate incident.