SEPTA commuters should be prepared for delays Monday as workers in the transit agency mourn a bus driver gunned down on the job last month.
SEPTA warned riders that funeral services for bus driver Bernard Gribbin would draw workers on Nov. 6, 2023.
"The Authority is anticipating a large number of attendees, which could cause delays throughout the service day across our system, particularly the following bus routes: H; XH; L; 2; 4; 16; 18; 22; 23; 26; 32; 35; 39; 47; 53; 55; 56; 57; 61; 62; 77; 80; 89; and BSO," SEPTA Media Relations said.
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A funeral Mass is being held in Long Island, New York, on Tuesday morning, following visitations on Monday afternoon and evening, according to Gribbin's obituary posted online. Workers need to travel to get there.
The best bet is to check the SEPTA app and the agency's social media platforms before you go wait at the bus stop.
Shot, killed while on the job
Transportation and Transit
A woman accused of shooting and killing Gribbin in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood was charged in the past for prior incidents on SEPTA vehicles, investigators said.
Zhontay Capers, 21, was charged with murder and other offenses, in the shooting death of 48-year-old Gribbin of Abington, Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, Oct. 26, police responded to the 4600 block of Germantown Avenue for a report of a shooting. When they arrived they found Gribbin, the driver of a Route 23 SEPTA bus, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and throat.
Gribbin was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time after the morning shooting.
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. He left behind two sons and a father as well, according to his obituary.
“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.”
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.
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.
Police believe Capers targeted the bus driver but they have not yet revealed a possible motive.
"This is a first where we're dealing with an unprovoked attack without any warning whatsoever on an employee of ours," Lawson said.
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As the investigation continued, more details emerged about Capers' criminal history.
SEPTA police said Capers had been charged twice as a juvenile for incidents in which she was on a SEPTA vehicle.
"Both were similar incidents involving her involved in an altercation with another female," Chief Lawson said. "One of them resulting in us arresting her for domestic assault and another one involved us issuing her a ticket for fare evasion."
Chief Lawson also said that prior to the Oct. 26 shooting, police had been searching for a woman who matched Capers' description in connection to an incident on Oct. 10 in which a woman got off a Route 60 bus and was last seen on a SEPTA platform on Broad and Erie. Witnesses had told police that the woman had a gun.
"We sent an informational bulletin to our officers as a woman who was carrying a handgun, a weapon on the transportation system," Chief Lawson said.
Those images were circulated only to SEPTA police and no other agencies, according to Lawson. He also said that there were no indications at the time of those reports that a crime had occurred and no threats had been made. By the time Gribbin was shot and killed, the woman involved in the Oct. 10 incident still had not been identified and no warrants had been issued.
Capers remained jailed without bail in Philadelphia. Online court records don't name a specific attorney to comment on her behalf.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
