A 21-year-old Belmont woman is currently being charged with murder after authorities claim she shot and murdered a SEPTA bus driver in Germantown on Thursday morning.
Interim First Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore stated that Zhontay Capers, of the 4300 block of Reno Street, was charged with murder and other offenses overnight for the fatal shooting of Route 23 SEPTA bus driver Bernard N. Gribbin, 48.
Who Is Zhontay Capers?
Charges of murder have been brought against a woman who is believed to have shot and killed a SEPTA bus driver who was on duty in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
Zhontay Capers, 21, is accused of murder, violating the Uniform Firearms Act, and other offenses, according to a police statement on Friday.
Just before she shot Gribbin, Capers can be seen brandishing a gun on security footage at the front of the bus, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Friday.
Vanore stated that it is unclear why the gun was shot. There was no weapon found, and no other injuries were reported.
Contested contract discussions between SEPTA and Transport Workers Union Local 234—which represents the authority’s bus, trolley, and subway operators—have taken place in the midst of the fatal shooting. Safety is one of the main concerns in talks.
In order to address the increasing number of attacks on its members, TWU Local 234 is calling for increased law enforcement as well as improved public safety measures against criminal activity and antisocial conduct on the transport system.
Zhontay Capers Arrest
The 48-year-old driver, Bernard Gribbin, was shot many times while operating his Route 23 bus, according to investigators. After being taken to Einstein Medical Center, Gribbin passed away.
Gribbin has 12 years of experience with the regional public transit body, according to SEPTA.
Capers shot Gribbin while she was a passenger on the bus, then got off and shot him once more, according to the police. There were other passengers on the bus, but nobody was hurt.
Afterwards, Capers was arrested at a petrol station on the intersection of West Queen Lane and Greene Street. According to police, no weapon was found.
At a press conference on Thursday, SEPTA Transit Police revealed that video footage of the incident had been taken.
The circumstances behind the shooting remain unknown.
What Did Zhontay Capers Do?
Philadelphia Police arrested and charged a woman accused of shooting a SEPTA bus driver six times and killing him in the city’s Germantown neighborhood.
Zhontay Capers, 21, is charged with murder, VUFA and other related offenses.
On Thursday at 10:27 a.m., police responded to the 4600 block of Germantown Avenue for a report of a shooting. When they arrived they found the driver of a Route 23 SEPTA bus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and throat.
The driver, later identified as 48-year-old Bernard Gribbin of Abington, Pennsylvania, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m.
