Three juveniles were arrested following the fatal shooting of a Georgia bus driver after they refused to pay the fare, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority police announced earlier this week.
Leroy Ramos, 47, was shot multiple times on the night of Jan. 3, after MARTA police say the three juveniles got into an argument with him at Decatur Station in the metro-Atlanta area, according to the announcement. The three suspects are now in police custody and are being charged with murder.
Cellphone footage of the incident obtained by WSB-TV appears to show the teens refusing to pay the $2.50 bus fare. Another MARTA employee can be seen holding Ramos back before one juvenile in a red hood appears to pull out a gun and shoot Ramos several times.
MARTA police confirmed that Ramos was killed during “fare dispute,” and a bystander was taken to the hospital with a “superficial” bullet wound, WRDW reports.
Ramos’ death has sparked a greater conversation over the nationwide rise of violent assaults on transit workers, which according to data by the Urban Institute, have tripled since 2008.
Ramos’ family is rallying against gun violence and for safe working conditions for public service workers in GoFundMe honoring the bus driver.
“This isn’t the first act of gun violence or any kind of violence within the public! As a community (all communities), we need to make a change, not just in Atlanta but all over the United States!” the family member wrote.
“This tragic incident happened over a fare dispute that resulted in us losing a life that was worth so much more than $2.50!” the statement continued.“Our family is enduring this senseless act of violence firsthand and mourns the loss of a soul that was precious and so priceless to us, 3 days into the new year.”
MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood addressed the incident in a video posted on social media, saying, “Like so many public interactions, this did not need to escalate.”
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He said Ramos had only been working as a bus operator since October, but “had already established himself as a friend to many of his co-workers.”
Ramos was described in the fundraiser by a family member as a loving husband and father “who came from humble beginnings” and “a man who valued life itself.”
“He was the type of man that would show up for anyone and everyone, even if he didn’t know them,” the family member wrote. “Just one call or encounter, and he would sacrifice his last to help!”
