MIAMI – The man who was found shot dead hanging out of a Miami-Dade County Transit bus on Wednesday night has been identified as 33-year-old Brandon Bennett, Miami police say.
According to investigators, it was approximately 7 p.m. when they received the call to the area of Northwest 36th Street and 30th Avenue and found Bennett hanging halfway outside the bus.
“He was with his feet in the bus, and his torso was outside the bus,” said Officer Michael Vega of the Miami PD.
Miami Fire Rescue workers arrived and declared Bennett dead at the scene.
Police say they don’t know if he was shot inside the bus, or outside of it and then got on for a ride. They did say the wound was not self-inflicted.
Witnesses who work nearby say the bus was crawling down the road.
“We saw the bus and all of a sudden it’s swamped with officers,” witness Yvette Navarro said. “It was crazy. We were just like, ‘What’s going on?’ We were all scared.”
Eventually, the bus stopped in front of a car rental business. That’s where it was surrounded by crime scene tape for hours.
Police say they are looking into surveillance video for leads, but they are also asking for the public’s help.
“If someone was inside that bus, if someone was outside the bus stop and heard or saw something, please come forward to give us information which is crucial in this incident,” Vega said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.