SEPTA bus driver shot and killed in Germantown

»Update: A 21-year-old woman has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a SEPTA bus driver

A Route 23 SEPTA bus driver was shot and killed in Germantown on Thursday morning.

The shooting happened just before 10:30 a.m. near Germantown and Abbottsford Avenues, police said. The bus driver, identified as Bernard N. Gribbin, 48, was shot six times.

Police took Gribbin to Einstein Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m. He was a 12-year SEPTA employee, the transit authority said.

Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said that SEPTA police took a person of interest into custody on the 100 block of East Penn Street about noon Thursday, and that the woman “does fit the description” of the shooter from the bus. SEPTA Transit Police recognized her based on her distinctive clothing and clear images of her face.

The woman, he said, did not have a gun in her possession when she was arrested. Police dogs and others were searching the area for the weapon, he said.

The shooting comes amid tense contract negotiations between SEPTA and Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents the authority’s bus, trolley, and subway operators. Safety has been cited as a central issue as talks continue to replace a contract that expires at 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31.

Brian Pollitt, president of TWU Local 234, said he got a text from the agency telling him Gribbin had been shot while the two sides were at the table, followed by a second text saying the veteran operator had died.

“He was a gentleman, a real nice guy,” Pollitt said.

SEPTA board members opened a Thursday afternoon board meeting and adjourned in honor of Gribbin. The meeting is postponed until Friday.

Early indications were that the passenger may have shot Gribbin following a “dispute” of some kind, Vanore said, but he added that police were in the process of identifying and interviewing witnesses who were on the bus to learn more about what happened.

But based on the bus security footage, “there does not appear to be any substantive interaction between the perpetrator and the operator,” said SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson. “Literally, it occurs without apparent rhyme or reason. ... For some unknown reason, she began firing as she was exiting the bus.” The woman then reboarded, fired and left the bus several times, he said.

No other injuries were reported.

“Appalled by the shooting death of a SEPTA employee today,” Mayor Jim Kenney said on social media. “My thoughts are with the victim’s family, loved ones, and colleagues.”

District Attorney Larry Krasner echoed Kenney’s sentiment, calling the shooting “inexcusable” in a statement on social media.

“All Philadelphians have the right to feel safe on public transit, especially those working to provide these essential services to our city,” Krasner said.

Contract discussions between the union that represents SEPTA’s bus, trolley and subway operators and agency officials continued Thursday in a Center City hotel.

TWU Local 234 is demanding more law enforcement to deter a rising number of assaults on its members, and better protect the public from a rash of crime and antisocial behavior on the transit system.

Pollitt said there has been little progress on the issue.

“Contracts should be written in ink, not in blood,” Pollitt said. “Enough is enough. The system is out of control and it’s been going on for years. This did not have to happen.”

The union has appealed to SEPTA management, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office, and “everyone” for a bigger law enforcement deterrent on the transit system — even asking for the National Guard to be deployed, Pollitt said.

The response has been “all talk and no action,” he said.

Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.