Man charged with attempted murder in Philadelphia SEPTA bus shooting near Fairmount Park
A 52-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder in a shooting that injured four people, including three teens aboard a SEPTA bus near Philadelphia's Fairmount Park over the weekend.
Hakim Bryant, 52, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with the shooting following an investigation that utilized video from onboard the bus as well as social media evidence, Philadelphia police and District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a news conference Wednesday.
Bryant is charged with 10 counts each of attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, along with several gun charges.
The shooting happened aboard a Route 15 bus near Girard Avenue and 33rd Street on Saturday, May 10. Police previously said 30 people were aboard the bus when four people, three of whom were teenage boys, were shot.
Assistant District Attorney Kelsey Gimmaro said Bryant was in the back of the bus and speaking to a group of boys who wanted to be left alone. At some point, one of the boys flipped the hat Bryant was wearing off his head, before he moved to the front of the bus, pulled a gun out of his bag and fired nine rounds into the bus.
Krasner, who said he viewed surveillance video of the crime, said passengers were "in a state of complete panic," ducking for cover behind seats and in fear for their lives.
The incident "absolutely could have been a deadly shooting. It is remarkable that no one was killed," he said.
"Everyone that survived is traumatized by the violence that they witnessed and barely escaped," Gimmaro said.
Bryant was prohibited from possessing a gun due to a prior robbery conviction in 1993, she added.
A SEPTA spokesperson called the shooting "an extremely frightening incident for our customers," and said SEPTA police were working with Philadelphia police to investigate the incident.
Bryant was set to be arraigned in a Philadelphia courtroom on Wednesday. Prosecutors are requesting $10 million bail.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
