It's been three days since a bus driver was shot in uptown Charlotte. On Monday, police offered few new details but said they're still looking for the suspect who opened fire on Ethan Rivera, who later died from his injuries.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to West Trade Street near South Graham Street around 9:30 p.m. Friday when Rivera was shot during his shift. While police wouldn’t go into detail about the events that led to the shooting, CMPD Capt. Joel McNelly did confirm that the incident involved road rage.
"That incident resulted in the bus driver, Ethan Rivera, being shot and critically wounded," McNelly told reporters.
Four passengers on the bus were unharmed. Rivera died from his injuries on Saturday. Police said there is no indication that Rivera’s actions led to the violence but did urge the public not to engage in arguments with other motorists.
CATS CEO John Lewis said in recent years barriers have been installed on buses, but added they are not bulletproof.
"Unfortunately, violence in regard to our bus operators is not a new issue," Lewis said. "It’s not a new issue for CATS, and it’s not a new issue for public transit."
Another police captain, Brad Koch, said there have been other recent cases of violent road rage reported to authorities in the uptown area.
"Four of six recent aggravated assaults in the Central Division, including the homicide of Mr. Rivera, have been the result of road rage," Koch said. "These other cases involve individuals shooting paint guns or BB guns or simply pointing a firearm at another driver. The victims in these other cases were not injured as a result of these crimes but we can all agree that these types of actions and the outcomes of these actions could have been much worse."
Koch said officers would work to decrease road rage but didn't say how.
CMPD says it plans to release information and images of the suspect’s vehicle. Police ask anyone with potential information to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600, which can be made anonymously.
Rivera was one of three people who died in homicides over the weekend in Charlotte, police reported.
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