Woman killed and four others injured after man opens fire on bus in California

A man opened fire in a Greyhound bus Wednesday evening, killing a 43-year-old woman and wounding four others as the vehicle stopped in northern California.

Police began receiving calls about the shooting shortly after 7.30pm and responded to the chaotic scene within a minute, officials said. Of the approximately 25 passengers, five people were injured, including a 43-year-old woman who died at the scene. An 11-year-old girl, a 25-year-old woman who is pregnant, a 38-year-old man and a 32-year-old man were also injured. At least one of the victims was shot multiple times.

Coleman reportedly suspected one of the passengers on the bus was an undercover police officer, which led to a confrontation, Honea said, before he allegedly began to randomly open fire as people exited, shooting through seats and the windshield. Witnesses say the suspect fired more than 10 shots, and officials reported they recovered a dozen 9 mm bullet casings.

The suspect ran off before officers arrived. But they located Coleman inside a nearby Walmart, where he had reportedly gotten into an argument with a woman in the store and took his clothes off. Police took him into custody without incident, Honea said. He was wanted on a warrant out of another county for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Officials will release the name of the woman who was killed in the incident pending notification of her family.

Though the US went a year without a high-profile mass shooting during first 12 months of the pandemic, daily gun violence has soared. According to FBI statistics, the US saw its largest-ever recorded annual increase in murders in 2020 as the national murder rate rose nearly 30%.