VIDEO: Charlotte bus driver and passenger have shootout on moving bus

A video captured the intense moment a bus driver and a passenger shot at each other onboard a moving bus in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this month, authorities said. 

The May 18th shooting began when a bus passenger, later identified as Omarri Tobias, got up while the bus was moving to ask the driver to let him off before the next stop near the Charlotte Premium Outlet Mall, Charlotte transit authorities said. 

The bus driver, David Fullard, told Tobias to wait until the next stop, causing an argument between the two men, said Brent Cagle, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) interim CEO, at a press conference. 

As the altercation intensified, Tobias pulled out a gun and pointed it at Fullard, the video shows. The bus driver responds by pulling out another gun. The two men shoot at each other, shattering the barrier between the driver and the passengers. 

"There [were] two other bystanders on the bus. At this point, they head back to the back of the bus to go away from the two gentlemen," CATS spokesperson Brandon Hunter told Fox News. 

#Charlotte #NC
“The Charlotte Area Transit System is sharing surveillance video from inside one of its buses after a shootout between a passenger and the bus driver.”
pic.twitter.com/Vr6f8iAlSg

— Shane B. Murphy (@shanermurph) May 27, 2023

Both men sustained life-threatening injuries, but are expected to recover, Cagle added. 

Tobias is facing several charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and communicating threats. It is still unknown if Fullard will be facing charges. However, according to RATP Dev, the third-party operator for the buses, Fullard was not allowed to carry a firearm on the job. 

The police are still investigating the incident. It is still unclear from the video who shot first, authorities said. It is also unclear why Fullard did not use the alarm systems available to bus drivers. 

“You have these incidents that happen over and over again, where drivers are being assaulted, shot at, shot or killed,” said Ken Harris, Fullard’s attorney. “It creates a situation where drivers fear that they won’t make it home."