SEATTLE — A man allegedly shot a fellow bus passenger following a confrontation where he tried to get an elderly rider away from the victim, who may have been smoking fentanyl on the bus.
According to court documents, a 35-year-old man was riding on a King County Metro bus on Nov. 7 when a woman on board allegedly started smoking fentanyl.
The man asked the smoker to stop, and informed the bus driver, court documents said. The man also noticed an elderly woman sitting nearby and was concerned that she could breathe in the noxious fumes, and encouraged her to move to the front of the bus.
In the police report, an officer said: “Strangely, [the man’s] genuine concern/contact with the elderly female angered the victim, who proceeded to confront him.”
Court documents say that a woman was allegedly smoking the fentanyl, but a man confronted the accused shooter.
It’s unclear if the victim and the woman smoking knew each other.
At one point in the initial confrontation, the victim said something to the effect of “get away from my grandma,” so it’s unclear if the victim was actually with the elderly woman.
The victim cornered the man in the bus and “violently” shoved him into the bus door twice, according to court documents.
Court documents also said that the accused shooter did not fight back.
The bus driver, seeing the shove and not knowing the circumstances, told both people to get off the bus.
Later, the bus driver told police that the man who encouraged the elderly woman to move was not acting erratically, disruptively, or aggressively while on the bus, court documents said.
When the bus pulled over, both got out.
Court documents say the victim followed the man out. Video appears to show the man pulling a handgun out of his pants pocket and firing.
“The victim continued to walk down the sidewalk next to the bus and turned to face [the man], who continued to back into the parking lot. The victim stood at the edge of the sidewalk and stopped. The victim then took one step to his left, not towards [the man] but further down the sidewalk, then paused. [The man] raised his hands while holding the object that appeared consistent with a firearm, and a gunshot was audible. The victim then fell to the ground,” court documents detail.
KIRO 7 is not yet naming the accused shooter, since he has not been formally charged.
He stayed on scene and complied with officers.
King County prosecutors noted that the man had a felony conviction in 2006 out of Ohio for “illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance on school premises convoy,” which means bringing a weapon on school grounds.
Prosecutors noted that he does not have a Washington Concealed Pistol License (CPL), and with his felony conviction, he should not have been in possession of a firearm, court docs said.
Bail has been set at $150,000. He has been booked for first-degree assault.
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