Detroit police say they are investigating why a man got up on a DDOT bus near 8 Mile and Sherwood, walked over to a fellow passenger, and shot him once in the upper chest.
The 26-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries around 7:25 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2, and is expected to survive. Meanwhile, the suspect, who exited the bus after the shooting and hitchhiked to the area of Mound and Davison, is still on the loose, police say.
First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald said in a video distributed to the media by the department that investigators don’t know what prompted the shooting. There didn’t appear to be an altercation beforehand and it’s not clear yet if the two knew each other, he said.
“It’s odd that he just stood up, walked over toward him, and shot one time,” Fitzgerald said of the suspect, described as being in his mid-50s.
Fitzgerald said the public should expect a heavier police presence in Detroit’s transit system, including random bus boardings by officers.
The night before, a bus driver stabbed someone trying to get on a bus near 7 Mile and Gratiot after that person spit on the driver during an argument over the bus fare. Fitzgerald said the driver could face charges.
“We gotta make sure it’s safe,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s just too much.”
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her atasahouri@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Police searching for man who shot fellow passenger on DDOT bus in Detroit
Reporting by Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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