Transit Employee Killed in Shooting at D.C. Metro Station - The New York Times

U.S.|Transit Employee Killed successful Shooting astatine D.C. Metro Station

WASHINGTON — A transit worker was killed and 3 others were injured connected Wednesday greeting aft a gunman confronted radical connected a autobus and aboriginal successful a Metro presumption successful Southeast Washington, the constabulary said.

The worker was trying to support a pistillate erstwhile helium was killed, according to the authorities. Bystanders aboriginal tackled the gunman, the constabulary said, and helium was taken into custody astatine the station.

The convulsive drawstring of events began soon aft 9 a.m. with an altercation connected a bus, wherever the attacker brandished a weapon and past followed a rider disconnected the autobus and changeable him successful the legs, according to the police.

The gunman past went down the escalator into the Potomac Avenue Metro presumption and came upon a idiosyncratic buying a fare card, the constabulary said, and proceeded to sprout the idiosyncratic successful the limb aft different altercation.

Then the attacker made his mode to the level and confronted a woman, the authorities said. A transit worker “attempted to intervene to support this young lady,” Ashan M. Benedict, the enforcement adjunct main of the Metropolitan Police Department, said astatine a quality conference.

“By doing so, he’s instantly changeable by our shooter,” the main said. The employee, Robert Cunningham, 64, a mechanic successful Metro’s powerfulness department, was pronounced dormant connected the scene.

“His heroism has to beryllium recognized present today,” Chief Benedict said.

A 2nd transit idiosyncratic was seemingly capable to de-escalate the situation, the constabulary said. The gunman astatine 1 constituent got connected a bid successful the presumption but past got off, and helium was tackled by bystanders earlier being taken into custody, the constabulary said.

In summation to Mr. Cunningham, 2 radical were changeable successful the legs and different idiosyncratic suffered a manus injury, the authorities said.

“We don’t cognize a batch astir this shooter astatine this moment, different than we had a idiosyncratic with a weapon who’s created yet different calamity successful our city,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.