MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A Miami-Dade Transit bus driver accused of shooting two passengers over the weekend is now on administrative leave, Local 10 News has learned.
Miami Gardens police say the bus driver refused to let a man board the bus Sunday morning with a Citi bike he believed was stolen.
When the passenger reached into a bag, the bus driver shot him and another passenger, authorities said.
Miami-Dade Transit officials say the bus driver will be fired.
A spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works told Local 10 News earlier this week that “Drivers are not allowed to be armed.”
According to police, the shooting occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday outside a shopping plaza on the corner of Miami Gardens Drive and Northwest Seventh Avenue.
A witness who was onboard the bus at the time told Local 10 News that the driver fired off six shots, hitting the man who was trying to board and another man, who the witness said was not involved in the incident, but was an innocent passenger.
According to the witness, the second man was likely hit by a stray bullet.
Both victims were rushed to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital by helicopter in critical condition, but both would later be pronounced dead.
Police said the bus driver was detained for questioning, but is not facing any charges at this time.