The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police are investigating a shooting that occurred on Friday in South Boston. The shooting, which may have been accidental, took place on an MBTA bus and resulted in a 60-year-old woman being shot in the abdomen.
The MBTA Transit Police responded to a report of shots fired outside the Andrew Square Station in South Boston around 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
According to Transit Police spokesperson Richard Sullivan, the shooting took place on a T bus near Andrew station at around 5:25 p.m. on Friday. Andrew station serves the Red Line and bus system on the Southie/Dorchester line. Upon arriving at the scene of the shooting, the police discovered that the victim had sustained a gunshot wound but was conscious and alert.
“Upon arrival, officers located a 60-year-old woman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen,” Sullivan said.
Rider Malachi Flerimone was on the MBTA bus when the shooting occurred but did not witness the incident himself. He only became aware of the shooting when he heard the commotion and saw people running.
“And then everybody just started running off,” he said. “We didn’t hear the gunshot, we just heard all the commotion.”
The victim, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, is expected to recover soon as the wounds are not considered to be life-threatening.
The police are now seeking to identify and question a man seen in surveillance footage in relation to the shooting. The said surveillance footage has been made public to help the identification process. No further information has been released on the incident.
WANTED FOR ID/QUESTIONING only at this time re: shooting on board an #MBTA bus outside of Andrew Station 12/30 at 5:25PM. Please contact our Criminal Investigations unit at 617-222-1050 or anonymous text to 873873 w/any info you have. TY pic.twitter.com/Q0cWOsNww7
— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) December 31, 2022
The safety of the MBTA
Other riders of the MBTA bus described the incident as disturbing and raised concerns about the safety of the public transportation system.
After the shooting incident, one rider, Kathleen Grafton, commented that she relies on the MBTA for daily transport and questioned safety.
“It’s a little crazy because I do have to rely on it to go back and forth to work,” she said. “Are we going to have to have cops on the bus now? Like it is a little disturbing.”
The MBTA is responsible for operating the subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry systems in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Like any large city, the Boston area does have some crime, and the MBTA is not immune to it.
To anticipate it, the public agency works closely with local law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of its riders and employees. It also has a number of safety measures in place, including surveillance cameras and a dedicated transit police force.
Despite the efforts and the fact that the vast majority of trips taken on the MBTA are safe and incident-free, it is unavoidable that several crimes have happened in the past under the agency’s rigorous surveillance.
On Saturday, December 17, 2022, a similar incident happened as three women were assaulted near the Back Bay MBTA Station in Boston.
The assaults took place between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at three different locations. The said locations were T 130 Dartmouth St., 145 Dartmouth St., and the intersection of Dartmouth and Appleton streets.
Almost a week later, the police announced on December 21, 2022, that Wetnsy Louicius, a 22-year-old from Lynn, was arrested on a probation violation charge. Officers are also seeking charges of robbery, aggravated assault, and battery over the Bay Back incidents.
No further information has been shared about the nature of the assaults. It is also not known if Louicius has an attorney.