What to Know
- A bus driver shot a driver who sprayed him with pepper spray on I-95 in New Castle, Delaware, police said.
- Police said the man had been following the bus driver and an altercation between the two men ensued when they both pulled over.
- The bus driver, who called 911, was taken into police custody while the man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
A bus driver shot a man who sprayed him with pepper spray during an altercation on I-95 in New Castle, Delaware, according to police.
A 28-year-old Saint Francis Life Paratransit bus driver was traveling on Route 1 around 2:10 p.m. Monday. As he was driving he noticed a man in a 2005 Dodge Durango following him, police said.
The driver of the Durango went to the right side of the bus and appeared to be waving a cellphone at the bus driver, according to investigators.
The bus driver then got onto I-95 northbound as the driver of the Durango continued to following him, police said. The driver of the Durango then drove to the left side of the bus and once again held up a cell phone. Both drivers then pulled over to the side of the road near Exit 141 for Airport Road.
Both men then got out of their vehicles and an altercation ensued, police said. The driver of the Durango, a 53-year-old Wilmington man, allegedly took out pepper spray and sprayed the bus driver in the face.
The bus driver then pulled out a handgun and fired at the 53-year-old man, striking him in the upper torso, police said. The bus driver then immediately rendered first aid to the 53-year-old man and called 911, according to investigators.
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"It was scary," Desmond Chisholm, who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting, told NBC10. "Honestly I had never seen nobody shot like that before."
Chisholm said he spoke to the bus driver moments after.
"I said, 'Do you know what's happening? What's going on?' He was like, 'I shot him in self-defense.' That's what he said," Chisholm said.
State troopers and medics responded to the scene and the 53-year-old man was taken to the hospital where he is in critical condition. The bus driver was taken into police custody. He has not been charged but police continue to investigate.
A spokesperson with Saint Francis Healthcare told NBC10 the van transports elderly passengers to and from life centers in the area and that no passengers were on board at the time of the shooting.
The spokesperson also said it's against company policy for paratransit bus drivers to carry guns while on duty.
