Miami-Dade bus driver shoots & kills two male passengers on No.77 bus after argument breaking out during route along Miami Gardens as driver may now face charges police say.
Two men are dead after a Miami-Dade County transit bus driver opened fire after an argument breaking out just before 3 a.m., Sunday morning.
The shooting deaths came after the un-identified bus driver becoming involved in an altercation with two male passengers while making his way along his ‘usual routine route.’
The two victims were transported to Aventura Hospital where they were later pronounced dead, CBS Miami reported.
Bus operators forbidden to carry weapons
The shootings are believed to have occurred after the bus operator getting into a dispute with a passenger about a bike according to the Miami Herald.
Passengers with bicycles must place them on racks installed on the front of county buses.
It’s not known whether the dispute involved both passengers who were shot dead by the operator.
The incident involved the Miami-Dade’s No. 77 bus, which runs all night between Miami Gardens and the Government Center transit station in downtown Miami. The 77 is one of the busiest bus routes in the county, with average weekday ridership of about 10,000 riders. That drops down to about 4,000 riders on an average Sunday.
The shooting comes despite bus drivers being prohibited from brining any firearms onboard.
A witness at the scene told of hearing up to six gunshots ring out.
‘I do not like the violence that’s going on in my neighborhoods,’ Wave God told CBS News.
Cops say the bus wasn’t moving when the shooting occurred nor any gunfire used against the driver. Not immediately clear is why the Miami bus driver resorted to gun violence.
The Miami Gardens Police Department confirmed the incident was isolated and that the public ‘needn’t be alarmed.’
‘I don’t think the community needs to be frightened,’ said Diana Delgado of the Miami Gardens police according to CBS. ‘This was a disturbance that took place between the driver and the victim. At this time we don’t have the full information to say that our community or any passengers need to be frightened of taking a bus.’
Responding to the shooting, Miami-Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works spokesperson Juan Mendieta said ‘Guns are not allowed as a self-defense measure for county bus drivers.’
‘Transit operators are not allowed to be armed,’ he said Sunday.
County rules prohibit drivers from taking guns to work even if they’re legally allowed to carry firearms, Mendieta reiterated.
It remained unclear if the un-named bus driver would now face charges.
The shooting aboard a Metrobus remains under investigation. Mendieta said The Department of Transportation and Public Works is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
