SEPTA bus driver dies after being shot 6 times by woman in Germantown, police say

Update: Police identified and officially charged the suspect. New details here.

A SEPTA bus driver died from his injuries after a woman shot him six times in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood Thursday morning, investigators said.

Police responded to the 4600 block of Germantown Avenue around 10:25 a.m. for a reported shooting. When they arrived they found the driver of a Route 23 SEPTA bus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police said the driver -- 48-year-old Bernard Gribbin -- had been shot six times in the chest and right abdomen. First responders took Gribbin to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m.

SEPTA said Gribbin 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.”

NBC10

Interim First Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore later revealed more details on the shooting.

Vanore said a woman in her 20's had exited the bus, pulled out a gun and fired a shot at the bus driver. The woman then repeatedly reentered and exited the bus, firing a shot at the bus driver each time, according to Vanore.

The woman then fled the scene on foot on Germantown Avenue and walked for several blocks. SEPTA Police said they then apprehended a woman who fit the description of the suspect along the 100 block of Penn Street. They have not yet revealed the woman's identity.

“I am confident that we have the offender who committed this atrocity,” Chief Lawson said.

Bilal El-Bedawi, a driver who was at the scene at the time of the shooting, told NBC10 that he heard the gunshots.

"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. They were interviewed by investigators.

Police believe the woman targeted the bus driver but they have not yet revealed a possible motive. They also have not recovered a weapon.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing.

As of Wednesday 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.”

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.