Philadelphia Police arrested a woman accused of shooting a SEPTA bus driver six times and killing him in the city's Germantown neighborhood.
Zhontay Capers, 21, is charged with murder, VUFA and other related offenses.
On Thursday at 10:27 a.m., police responded to the 4600 block of Germantown Avenue for a report of a shooting. When they arrived they found the driver of a Route 23 SEPTA bus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and throat.
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The driver, later identified as 48-year-old Bernard Gribbin of Abington, Pennsylvania, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m.
Investigators later identified Capers as the suspect in the shooting.
Police said Capers had exited the bus, pulled out a gun and fired a shot at Gribbin. She then repeatedly reentered and exited the bus, firing a shot at Gribbin each time, according to police.
Bilal El-Bedawi, a driver who was at the scene at the time of the shooting, told NBC10 that he heard the gunshots.
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"I heard that first boom and I thought the ramp had just came down too fast, and then immediately after that, you heard consecutive boom, boom, boom," he said. "My wife said, 'those are gunshots.'"
El-Bedawi said he then saw riders fleeing from the bus's side windows and emergency exits.
Multiple people were on the bus at the time of the shooting though none of the passengers were hurt.
Capers then fled the scene on foot before she was captured by a plainclothes SEPTA Police officer at Greene Street and Queen Avenue, investigators said. A weapon has not been recovered however.
Police believe Capers targeted the bus driver but they have not yet revealed a possible motive.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing.
SEPTA said Gribbin, an Army veteran, had been with the mass transit company for the past 12-years and lived in Abington with his wife.
“As you can imagine this is a very traumatic incident for the entire SEPTA family,” SEPTA Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Lawson said. “Quite frankly, we’re shell-shocked.”
As of Thursday night, there were 352 homicides in Philadelphia in 2023, down 20 percent from the same time last year which was one of the deadliest years in the city on record.
SEPTA released the following statement on safety:
“There is no higher priority for SEPTA than the safety and security of our employees and customers. SEPTA faces the same challenges with these issues as the communities we serve, and we need to continue working with all stakeholders on solutions. Input from the TWU and other SEPTA unions are crucial to this as we move forward.”
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
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