A 24-year-old woman who pulled out a gun on a Philadelphia public bus and shot the driver several times, killing him in broad daylight, has been sentenced to prison.
Zhontay Capers pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and five counts of recklessly endangering another person, among other charges, in the death of 45-year-old Bernard Gribbin. Court records show she was sentenced to between 33½ and 67 years behind bars.
Gribbin was a 12-year employee of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Prosecutors said he had just pulled up to a stop near the intersection of Germantown and Abbottsford Avenues at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2023, when Capers opened fire, striking him on his right side. She stepped off the bus, then turned back and shot him again. Gribbin was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
Capers fled but was arrested later. “Bernard will never be forgotten,” Will Vera, president of Transport Workers Union Local 234, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
SEPTA board chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and general manager Scott A. Sauer said in a statement to the newspaper that the agency is working with state legislators to increase penalties for people who assault transit workers.
“Unfortunately, nothing can bring Bernard back to us. But in his memory, we are committed to doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of the hardworking men and women who provide the public transit services that hundreds of thousands of our residents rely on every day,” they said.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner called the shooting “inexcusable.” “All Philadelphians have the right to feel safe on public transit, especially those working to provide these essential services to our city,” he wrote on X.
Witnesses told local Fox that passengers scrambled to escape by jumping out of windows and using emergency exits. No one else was hurt. Police have not determined a motive. Capers’ family, however, told WTXF she was “experiencing a mental health crisis.”
“Her grandmother, who raised her, passed away a week ago due to a short battle with cancer,” the family’s statement said. “We knew that was her breaking point. Zhontay isolated herself from family during her paranoid state. Unfortunately, she didn’t meet the criteria for an involuntary hospitalization.”
The family said they had not heard from her until they learned of the shooting, and they believe the mental health system failed her.
“Our hope is that she gets the mental health support she truly needs once justice is served!” the statement ended. Gribbin’s relatives and colleagues gathered to honor him with a balloon release. Co-workers described him as an excellent employee and a good friend.
“We all come here just to take care of our families just like Bernard did,” Keith Bradford, the SEPTA Midvale District union representative, told local ABC. “None of us expect that when we put our uniform on in the morning that will be the last time we will come back.”
Bradford also called for stronger protections for drivers. “We have to get a full bulletproof door or something,” he said. “Bernard lost his life for what? He was doing his job.”
Colleagues said Gribbin kept a positive outlook even in hard times. “Bernard would laugh at us, and tell us to keep our head up and keep our foot on the gas,” Bradford told the outlet.