A public transit bus driver was fatally shot on Thursday, October 27, 2023, while operating his bus in broad daylight near the intersection of Germantown and Abbottsford Avenues in Philadelphia.
In an appalling act of violence, Bernard Gribbin, 48 years old and a veteran of the U.S. Army, lost his life while serving as a bus driver for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
Gribbin, with 12 years under his belt at SEPTA, was at the helm of his bus on Germantown Avenue around 10:27 a.m. when the incident occurred.
Responding to a call about a shooting, police found the Route 23 bus operated by Gribbin, who had sustained several gunshot wounds to his torso.
As investigators pieced together the incident, a narrative emerged from witness statements and video surveillance footage.
The alleged assailant, identified as a 21-year-old female, Zhontay Capers, was seen exiting the bus and then returning to fire at Gribbin on his right side. Not stopping there, Capers reportedly got off the bus, only to re-enter and shoot the driver again, before escaping on foot.
The immediate aftermath inside the bus was a scene of terror; passengers were seen scrambling for the exits, some even clambering out of windows in a desperate bid to escape the unfolding nightmare. A fellow bus driver in the vicinity recounted hearing the shots and witnessing the ensuing panic as passengers fled.
Despite rapid transportation to a nearby hospital, Gribbin’s wounds proved fatal. He was declared deceased at 10:36 a.m., a mere nine minutes after the police arrived. The tragedy left the community and his coworkers reeling from the shock.
Plainclothes SEPTA officers apprehended Capers soon after, charging her with murder among other offenses.
Capers’ relatives spoke of her ongoing mental health crisis, worsened by the death of her grandmother from cancer. This detail, however, does nothing to console Gribbin’s friends, colleagues, and the SEPTA community, who remembered him fondly for his wit, intelligence, and unwavering commitment.
