Metro Transit: Argument Led To Shooting On Minneapolis Bus
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Transit Police are looking for the man who shot a teenager on a Metro Transit bus.
The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday on the Route-19 bus near 34th and Penn Avenues. Despite the shooting, Metro Transit officials say people should feel safe while riding buses and trains.
Metro Transit Spokesperson Howie Padilla says the shooting was not random.
"An individual got onto one of our buses, route 19, and saw somebody that he knew," Padilla said.
On a crowded bus traveling through north Minneapolis, two people who are acquainted decided to settle their differences in front of others. Padilla says the two got into an argument.
"That incident got physical and ended up leading to a shooting right on the bus," he said.
The 17-year-old who got on the bus was shot in the stomach. A friend of the victim who was with him Wednesday night says his friend recognized the man who shot him as someone who robbed him several months ago. When his friend asked the man his name, the man pulled a gun and fired.
"Each of our buses are equipped with several cameras, so if something happens on one of our buses, we're going to be able to hold people accountable for it," Padilla said.
Padilla says investigators are pouring through video taken from cameras on the bus to identify the gunman and to understand more about the argument that led to the shooting. Right now, he says they have good leads.
"We are confident we are going to be able to identify the individuals involved if we haven't already, and we're confident that we are going to be able to hold some folks accountable," Padilla said.
Police haven't arrested anyone yet. The 17-year-old is still in critical condition.