Passengers have been hailed heroes for stepping in to wrestle a gun from a shooter who opened fire on a packed Greyhound bus in California, killing one and injuring five others.
The suspect was disarmed and escorted off the bus after the driver pulled over as the shooting unfolded on board, authorities said. He was taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The motive for the gun attack on Monday was not immediately clear, and there was no indication the gunman knew any of the victims, said California Highway Patrol Sergeant Brian Pennings.
He said the actions of the driver and the passengers who disarmed the gunman were “heroic” but did not provide further details on what has been described as a seemingly random attack.
The driver of the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco bus pulled off onto the shoulder, where some of those aboard led the killer off the vehicle, and he was quickly taken into custody.
The driver continued on to the next exit as passengers performed first aid on the wounded, Sergeant Pennings said.
He said several ammunition magazines were discovered along with the gun.
Forty-three people were aboard the vehicle at the time of the shooting, including six and eight-year-old children, who were not hurt.
The bus was traveling on Interstate 5 near the small mountain community of Lebec, about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles, when the passenger started shooting with a semi-automatic handgun.
The passenger who was killed was identified as a 51-year-old woman from Colombia.
A 45-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were in critical condition in hospital, a 39-year-old woman suffered major injuries, a 49-year-old man had moderate injuries and a 50-year-old woman had minor injuries, Sergeant Pennings said.
The remaining passengers were later driven away by relatives or continued to Northern California on another bus.
