Man killed on Gwinnett County bus identified; GBI says he was shot with his own gun – WSB-TV Channel 2

Grier had been at the scene of a mass shooting at the Peachtree Center hours earlier.

According to the GBI, Grier was talking to passengers on the bus and got into an argument with another man. The other passenger, identified as Ernest Byrd according to the arrest warrant, pulled out a gun. Grier then took the gun from Byrd and began threatening passengers.

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According to the GBI, Grier then shot Byrd in the leg with his own gun and ordered the bus driver to drive away.

Numerous police officers pursued the bus as it headed north on I-85 into Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. During the pursuit, the bus struck several other cars and several police vehicles.

Officers blew out the bus’ tires, but it continued to move. A Georgia State Patrol officer then fired his weapon into the bus’s engine compartment to bring it to a stop.

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The pursuit ended on Hugh Howell Road in Stone Mountain. Grier was arrested. Byrd was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. The bus driver was also taken to the hospital.

The GBI did not release the identity or current condition of the bus driver.

More than a dozen other passengers on the bus were able to get off safely.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation into the use of force.

More than a dozen charges have now been brought against Grier, including murder.