Subway bus shooting leaves 1 dead in Commerce; Shooter arrested, LASD says

COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) — One person was killed in a shooting on a Metro bus in the City of Commerce on Thursday.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the bus was at a stop when the gunman approached the victim from behind and shot him. It is not known whether there was an argument before the fatal shooting or whether any words were exchanged.

The incident occurred in the 6200 block of Slauson Avenue around 4:50 p.m. According to LASD, there were seven people on board at the time of the shooting, including the suspect, the victim and the bus driver.

The victim was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities said no one was injured, but the bus driver was taken to the hospital for a medical emergency.

According to LASD, the suspect was caught with a gun nearby shortly after the incident.

It is unknown whether the suspect and victim knew each other. Neither the name of the victim nor the suspect has been released.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the LASD Homicide Unit at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can submit tips by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

Metro released a statement saying:

“This afternoon’s tragic incident on board a Metro bus in the Trade Area is an example of how violence is increasing in society at large and impacting our local communities. Metro is saddened by this incident and extends our deepest condolences to the victim’s family. Metro thanks the City of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for the quick arrest of a person of interest. Anyone with information about this incident should call the LASD Transit Services Bureau at 323-563-5000.

According to LASD, there were no security or police officers on the bus at the time of the shooting.

This follows Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass saying there will be an increase in security measures because Metro is simply too dangerous.

“The increase in violent crime at Metro that we have seen recently against operators and riders is absolutely unacceptable,” Bass, who is also Metro’s chief executive, said at a news conference Thursday morning. “And I know that all of my colleagues here today would agree.”

Bass told reporters that on Wednesday she ordered “an immediate increase in police personnel on subway buses, cars and stations in the system.”

Bass said the motion will “increase the daily scheduled deployment of public safety personnel on the subway and direct public safety personnel to be physically present on buses and trains and also proactively patrol areas.”

The motion also calls for the establishment of a “unified command” of the various law enforcement agencies overseeing the system – including Metro Security, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Long Beach Police Department.