FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – 4 people were shot onboard a Broward County bus traveling down a busy Fort Lauderdale street on Thursday afternoon.
1 person died shortly after the shooting, the other was transported and died at the hospital, according to Fort Lauderdale police.
1 person remains in the hospital in critical condition, while another suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is in serious condition at Broward Health.
Fort Lauderdale Police acting interim chief Luis Alvarez at a press conference Thursday described the scene.
“We had an officer on an unrelated call in front of the police station. He heard several gunshots coming from inside the bus. The suspect stepped out and surrendered to the officer. Other officers went onto the bus where they found 4 people shot.”
Alvarez heralded the quick-thinking actions of the Broward County Transit bus driver, who he said should be lauded as a hero.
“To get to the police station and have that presence of mind saved lives,” he said. The bus was traveling westbound from the 1100 block of West Broward Boulevard and that’s where police believe the shooting occurred.
According to Fort Lauderdale public information officer Casey Liening, the bus driver was traveling westbound on the eastbound lanes where she was able to pull into the parking lot of the police department at 1300 West Broward Boulevard to get help.
The bus did crash into a car injuring 3 people who were treated at the scene.
“From what I’m being told, and from our initial investigation, as the bus was driving it was pinned in and could not cross Broward Boulevard. That’s when the driver forced the bus past a vehicle that was blocking her and forced its way to the front of the police station.”
Alvarez said that a firearm was recovered, but they do not have a motive yet for the shooting. The suspect did not suffer any injuries and no officers discharged their weapons, he said.
West Broward Boulevard is shut down eastbound and westbound from 11th Avenue to 18th Avenue.
(This is a developing story. Stay tuned to Local 10 News and Local 10.com for updates.)