Dramatic video captures shootout between Charlotte bus driver and passenger

Dramatic video shows a bus driver and passenger opening fire on each other on a moving bus in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this month following an argument that left people injured both men, transit authorities said.

The shooting, which took place on May 18 while others were on the bus, began after a passenger identified by authorities as Omarri Shariff Tobias stood up as the vehicle was moving and asked the driver to let him off between stops, according to a press release. of the Charlotte area transit system.

The driver, David Fullard, told Tobias he should wait for the next designated stop, the transit system reported, according to Charlotte-based NBC affiliate WCNC.

In video of the altercation released by the transit system, Tobias appears to taunt Fullard as he continues to drive, according to WCNC. Tobias then appears to pull out a gun, with Fullard pulling out his own gun moments later.

We can then see bullets breaking a barrier between the driver and the passenger. It wasn’t immediately clear from the video who fired first. CATS did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News.

Fullard was shot in the arm and Tobias was shot in the abdomen, the transit system said in its press release.

Tobias faces multiple charges relating to the incident, including assault with a deadly weapon, WCNC reported.

RATP Dev, the city’s third-party bus operator, said it “parted ways” with Fullard after he broke employee policy by carrying a gun to work, according to the outlet. RATP Dev did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department has not announced any criminal charges against the bus driver.

Brent Cagle, acting CEO of CATS, said an investigation found Fullard was not using any of the three alarm systems available to bus drivers, according to WCNC. He also said it was standard procedure not to allow passengers between bus stops, but said drivers could make an allowance if needed.

“If they think it’s in the best interest and they can do it safely, letting the passenger get out even at an undesignated stop, that’s a perfectly reasonable course of action to take,” said Cagle.

Attorney Ken Harris, who represents Fullard, told WCNC the bus driver had worked with CATS for nearly 20 years.

“Mr. Fullard is a long-time employee of the CATS bus system,” Harris said, ahead of news that RATP Dev had parted ways with the bus driver. “He loves his job and he wants to continue to be there and we want to make sure we are addressing any issues that may arise related to this incident.”

Harris also said incidents of bus drivers being injured and assaulted on the job were a persistent problem in Charlotte.

“You have these incidents that happen over and over again, where drivers are mugged, shot, shot or killed,” Harris said earlier this week. “It creates a situation where drivers are worried about not getting home.”

In February 2022, a CATS bus driver, Ethan Rivera, was shot dead in what authorities said was a road rage incident. He died of his injuries the next day, according to WCNC.