Philadelphia shooting: Route 23 SEPTA bus driver identified after being fatally shot in Germantown; person of interest in custody

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The SEPTA bus driver who was shot and killed Thursday morning while operating a bus in Philadelphia’s Germantown section has been identified.

An agency spokesperson identified the driver as 48-year-old Bernard Gribbin. He was a 12-year employee of the transit authority and a U.S. Army veteran.

The shooting happened just before 10:30 a.m. at Germantown and Abbottsford avenues as Gribbin was operating a Route 23 bus. Police said he was shot six times in the chest and right abdomen.

Gribbin was rushed to Einstein Medical Center by police, where he was pronounced dead, according to officials.

Police said a woman caught on surveillance cameras was seen stepping off the bus and firing toward the driver.

“She then fires a shot toward the bus driver, re-enters the bus and fires again. And from what we see in the video, and it’s very preliminary, it appears she gets on and off several times,” said Interim First Dep. Commissioner Frank Vanore.

A person of interest was taken into custody, but police have not yet said if it is the same woman who was seen firing at the bus driver.

SEPTA says this is the first time a worker has been shot and killed on the job.

“We talk all the time about making sure that everybody on our system goes home safely at the end of each day and today tragically that did not happen,” said SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards.

Thursday’s deadly shooting comes as the union representing SEPTA is considering a strike.

TWU Local 234, the union representing SEPTA workers, says it has been calling for safety measures for years. After this murder, they want The National Guard involved.

“If you walk down on one of our platforms and see a soldier with an M16, you’ll think twice about doing anything,” said Brian Pollitt, president of TWU Local 234.

No weapons have been recovered.

Philadelphia and SEPTA police are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call SEPTA Transit Police at (215) 580-8111.