https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/28/us/charl ... index.htmlA bus driver and passenger opened fire on each other on a moving Charlotte transit bus earlier this month, leaving both injured, transit authorities said. The incident started when a passenger, who authorities identified as Omarri Shariff Tobias, got up while the bus was in motion and asked the driver to let him off between designated bus stops, according to a news release from Charlotte Area Transit System. The driver, David Fullard, told Tobias he would have to wait until the next approved stop. After about a two-minute exchange, Tobias pulled out a gun and pointed it at Fullard, the transit system said. At this time, Fullard also pulled out a firearm, the transit system said. Both men fired their guns “in rapid succession,” although it is unclear who shot first, company spokesperson Brandon Hunter told CNN by phone Saturday.
Fullard was struck in the arm and Tobias was struck in the abdomen, according to the transit system. Dramatic video of the encounter shows Fullard stopping the bus and pushing open the shattered driver barrier, as he stands up with his gun still drawn. As Tobias crawled toward the back of the bus, where the two other passengers on board had moved, Fullard fired his gun again from the aisle of the bus. Tobias and another passenger exited the bus through the side door and Fullard exited through the front door, firing his gun again, the transit system said. Tobias and another passenger exited the bus through the side door and Fullard exited through the front door, firing his gun again, the transit system said. Both Fullard and Tobias are in stable condition and expected to recover, and the other two passengers were unharmed, the transit system said in a statement released Wednesday.
Tobias was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, communicating threats, and carrying a concealed firearm, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a news release. It’s unclear whether charges will be brought against Fullard. Fullard was fired by his employer, RATP Dev, which employs the transit system’s bus operators, Hunter told CNN on Saturday. CNN has reached out to RATP Dev for comment. Possession of a firearm or other weapons while on duty or on company property is prohibited by the company’s workplace policy and employees can be discharged after the first violation, according to the transit system.
Bus passenger and bus driver get into gun battle.
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