Shocking moment bus driver and passenger get into shootout on public bus
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Featured Image Credit: Charlotte Area Transit System
Footage of the shocking moment a bus driver and passenger pulled guns on each other and opened fire has been released.
On May 18 on a moving bus in Charlotte, North Carolina a driver and passenger got into a shootout where they were both injured.
The passenger, identified by police as Omarri Shariff Tobias, got up from his seat and went to the front of the bus while it was moving to ask the driver to drop him off in-between the stops.
He was told by driver David Fullard that he would have to wait until the next stop to get off the bus and according to Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) they spoke for around two minutes.
The bus operator then said Tobias pulled a gun on the driver, who drew his own weapon in return.
It's not clear who fired first but both driver and passenger let off multiple shots at each other, with Fullard being hit in the arm and Tobias struck in the abdomen.
The bus, which was still in motion when the two men were firing at one another, was then brought to a halt as the driver got out of his seat and continued to point his gun at the passenger.
Fullard again fired his gun at Tobias, who had been crawling to the back of the bus where two other passengers had taken refuge.
Tobias and one of the other passengers on board the bus then ran off it, with the driver firing his weapon again.
Both men are in a stable condition and expected to make a recovery from their wounds, while CATS confirmed in a statement that the other passengers were unharmed in the shootout.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department issued a statement confirming that Tobias had been charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, communicating threats and for carrying a concealed firearm.
He is next due in court on 6 June.
Fullard was fired from his job as a bus driver, with the workplace policy banning possession of weapons including guns while at work.
CATS said: "It would have been reasonable for the operator to attempt to de-escalate the situation by allowing the suspect/passenger to exit the bus before arriving at the next bus stop."
Legal representatives for Fullard told CNN said they'd represented a number of drivers over the years who'd been 'assaulted, shot at or shot during their work activity'.
Ken Harris said his client was 'a dedicated employee and treasured his employment' and had worked as a bus driver for 19 years and called on CATS to 'enhance security measures for drivers'.
