Early Sunday morning, two passengers were shot and killed after an altercation with a Miami-Dade Transit bus driver, according to police officials.
The incident occurred at approximately 3 a.m. on March 30, 2025, at the intersection of Miami Gardens Drive and Northwest Seventh Avenue in Miami Gardens, Florida, where officers discovered two men with gunshot wounds.
The victims have been identified as Lonnie Stephenwade Harley, 44, and Ejaash Bail Carter, 46.
“This was a disturbance that took place between the driver and the victims,” stated Diana Delgado, spokesperson for the Miami Gardens Police Department. “I don’t think the community needs to be frightened. At this time we don’t have the full information.”
The wounded men were transported in critical condition to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital, where they later died, as confirmed by authorities.
Reports indicate that the bus driver and the passengers were involved in a dispute, during which the driver discharged a firearm, hitting the two individuals.
Later it was revealed that the altercation began when the driver refused to allow a man to board the bus with a Citi bike he believed was stolen. When the passenger reached into a bag, the driver shot him and another passenger.
Witnesses described hearing several gunshots. “I heard six shots,” said a local resident known as Wave God, who spoke to media at the scene.
The area around the shopping plaza was secured by Miami Gardens police as they collected evidence and interviewed witnesses throughout the morning. The bus involved remained a focal point of the investigation.
The bus driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken into custody for questioning. He has been placed on administrative leave and is set to be terminated from his job.
Juan Mendieta, a representative for Miami-Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, informed CBS News Miami that carrying firearms for self-defense is against policy for county bus drivers.
The Metrobus incident remains under investigation, with the Department of Transportation and Public Works collaborating fully with law enforcement, as detailed in a statement from Miami-Dade Transit, reported by WTSP.
County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, chair of the county’s transportation committee, expressed her sorrow over the fatalities.
The incident occurred on Miami-Dade bus number 77, which operates overnight between Miami Gardens and the Government Center transit station in downtown Miami.
According to WSVN, a witness named Guilleume Lageur, who works near the bus stop, said, “There was an argument. I hear ‘weh, weh, weh, weh,’ and after a while, I hear the gun bust,” he told reporters.
The driver was arrested, but no charges have been filed as of Sunday. Preliminary statements from police indicate the passengers did not shoot at the driver.
This incident has raised concerns about the safety of public transportation. The Miami Gardens Police Department’s Homicide Unit is continuing its investigation.
