An employee of Washington, D.C.'s subway system who tried to stop a gunman targeting commuters Wednesday was fatally shot on a train station platform in a shooting rampage that injured three others, halted rail service for hours and again left residents unsettled as the city continues to confront gun violence, reports the Washington Post. Police said the gunman appeared to select his victims randomly near the end of the morning rush hour. The attack started on a bus and ended underground. Police announced the arrest of Isaiah Trotman, 31. He was charged with first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon. Investigators are working to identify a motive.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said “we had a person with a gun who’s created yet another tragedy in our city.” The shooting is the latest eruption of violence to rattle passengers on public transit systems. The Washington area transit agency boosted patrols systemwide. The morning attack followed other shootings in the Southeast Washington neighborhood, increasing calls among some neighbors for a larger police presence near the station. On a bus early Wednesday, an “altercation” onboard spilled onto the street near a subway stop. The gunman, who had been riding the bus, followed a fellow passenger off and shot the person in the legs as the passenger ran away. The gunman descended underground and shot another person in the leg as the rider tried to buy a transit card. The attack continued to the platform, where authorities said the gunman approached a woman while the firearm was “brandished at his side.” An employee, Robert Cunningham, 64, witnessed the altercation and tried to intervene, police said. The gunman shot Cunningham, who died at the scene.
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