Left: Zhontay Capers (Philadelphia police). Right: Bernard Gribbin (Facebook).
A 24-year-old woman who was riding a public bus in Philadelphia when she pulled out a gun and shot the driver several times, killing him in broad daylight, is going 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. She was sentenced to between 33 1/2 and 67 years in prison, according to court records.
The victim was a 12-year employee of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
Prosecutors said Gribbin had just pulled up to a bus stop around 10:30 a.m. Oct. 26, 2023, near the intersection of Germantown and Abbottsford Avenues when Capers opened fire, hitting him on his right side. She got off the bus and then turned around and shot him again. Gribbin was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Capers ran away but was later arrested.
"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 told the newspaper in a statement that in response to the murder, they are working with state legislators to increase punishments for people assaulting 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 affiliate WTXF that passengers onboard scrambled to get off the bus by jumping out of windows and emergency exits. No one else was injured.
Police have not determined a motive for the shooting, but Capers' family released a statement to WTXF saying 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 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 hadn't heard from her until they got word about the shooting. They said 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 family and co-workers gathered to honor him with a balloon release. Co-workers called him an excellent employee and 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 affiliate WPVI. "None of us expect that when we put our uniform on in the morning that will be the last time we will come back."
"We have to get a full bulletproof door or something," said Bradford. "Bernard lost his life for what? He was doing his job."
Gribbin always kept a positive attitude, even when times were tough.
"Bernard would laugh at us, and tell us to keep our head up and keep our foot on the gas," Bradford told the outlet.