Broward bus shooter fired 21 shots at riders, cops say. 911 calls detail driver’s heroism
The gunman who opened fire into a Broward County bus — killing two and hospitalizing two others — pulled the trigger a total of 21 times, emptying a clip and reloading, new police details showed Friday.
Newly released 911 calls also depict the ensuing chaos of the bus shooting that happened Thursday afternoon on West Broward Boulevard just a few blocks away from Fort Lauderdale police headquarters.
READ MORE: Two killed in Broward bus shooting
Video surveillance showed Jamal Meyers, the 34-year-old alleged gunman, was riding Terminal Bus 21005 when he took out a semiautomatic handgun from his front pocket around 3:20 p.m. Thursday, a new Fort Lauderdale police affidavit said.
Shortly thereafter, he fired 12 rounds at four people sitting in the back of the bus, the report said. He then reloaded and fired nine more rounds at the four. The shooting was over in a little over a minute.
The unidentified bus driver heard the shots and took “quick actions” that police say saved lives, all of which was detailed to 911 dispatchers.
‘A bus going the wrong way’: 911 call
“There was a city bus driving westbound in the eastbound lanes and just hit two cars,” one caller said in newly released calls.
Another caller told dispatchers, “There is a bus going the wrong way on the eastbound lanes, almost ran into me and a lot of cars.”
Police say the driver drove into oncoming traffic on West Broward Boulevard, crashing into a taxi and Mercedes-Benz SUV to get into the police department’s parking lot. “Her quick actions” were credited with saving lives.
“Her [the bus driver’s] quick actions I’m sure saved lives,” said Fort Lauderdale Acting Police Chief Luis Alvarez in a Thursday press conference. “Kudos to her; she deserves to be applauded for her actions.”
Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Daniel Hughes saw the bus driving the wrong way and the ensuing crash, the police report read. As the bus entered and stopped in the police department’s parking lot, Hughes then heard gunshots and saw Meyers quickly exit the bus.
Hughes pointed his gun at Meyers and took him into custody. Police found a gun magazine in Meyers’ front pocket and a gun holster on his waistband. The gun was found on the bus.
Two died in shooting
Gregory Campbell, 32, died on the bus as more officers came aboard. Danny Colon, 41, and two other unidentified people were taken to the hospital. Colon later died at Broward General Medical Center. Three people who were in the cars the bus crashed into suffered minor injuries.
Meyers was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Police say additional charges are pending.
The motive behind the shooting is not yet known.
Anyone who knows or had contact with Meyers in the days leading up to the shooting is asked to contact Detective Carlo Fargnoli at 954-828-5539.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 4:52 PM.
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