A man accused of fatally shot another man aboard a CTA bus, prompting another passenger to return fire, hitting the driver, has been arrested in the Douglas neighborhood attack.
No charges had been announced at midday Tuesday, and the gunman who shot the driver was still at large, Chicago police said.
About 12:15 a.m. Monday, a 19-year-old man and several friends were riding on a southbound bus in the 3400 block of South State Street when the 19-year-old approached a “lone rider” and hit him multiple times in his head, according to police reports obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
As the two fought, several other passengers moved from the rear of the bus toward the front when the rider pulled out a handgun and opened fire on the 19-year-old, authorities said.
One of the individuals from the man’s group returned fire, striking the 51-year-old bus driver and causing the bus to strike a tree, according to police and traffic reports.
The 19-year-old man, shot in his chest, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 12:55 a.m., police said. A spokesperson for the Cook County medical examiner’s office said the victiim’s name was not known, and a friend of the victim declined to comment immediately.
Meanwhile, the bus driver, who did not return messages Tuesday, was taken to a hospital in good condition.
Witnesses told police the suspect in the fatal shooting is now in custody, fled, according to the reports.
Five shell casings were recovered from the back of the bus, and one was recovered from the front. Police found one gun about 50 feet west of the bus, authorities said.
CTA President Dorval Carter said in a statement that it was “absolutely reprehensible” that a bus operator was injured in the shooting.
“No one should experience this kind of violence, especially while merely performing their duties serving the public as a bus driver,” Carter said. “Regardless of circumstances, the CTA has zero tolerance for gun violence, and will work with law enforcement officials to aggressively pursue upgraded charges against those found responsible for these actions.”
Carter said the CTA is assisting Chicago police with its investigation, including reviewing surveillance footage of the incident.