OROVILLE, Calif. – One person died and several others were injured Wednesday when a gunman opened fire aboard a Greyhound bus outside a California convenience store, authorities said.
The shooting took place around 7:35 p.m. PST as the bus was parked at an ampm store in Oroville, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Update 1:20 p.m. EST Feb. 3: Authorities on Thursday identified the man suspected of opening fire on a Greyhound bus in Oroville, killing one person and injuring four others, as Azhid Elijah Coleman, 21.
Sheriff Kory Honea said Coleman boarded the bus in Redding. He fired more than 10 shots from the back of the bus toward the front on Wednesday night, as people began to disembark after the bus stopped behind the ampm in Oroville, officials said.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said more than 10 shots were fired, some of which went through the seats of the bus. At a news conference Thursday, he described a chaotic scene as officials responded to shooting.
“(There were) 25 passengers and a bus driver who had to be basically corralled, brought to this office and the sheriff’s office, all to be interviewed and (have) their human needs taken care of,” he said.
Authorities determined that after the shooting, Coleman ran through a nearby commercial area before reaching an area under construction, where he dropped the firearm he’d used in the shooting, Honea said. Coleman continued running until he ended up in a Walmart store about a half-mile south of the scene of the shooting, the sheriff said.
At the store, officials said Coleman got into an argument with a woman that led to a fight that involved the woman’s boyfriend.
“That was broken up, at which point (Coleman) moved to the front of the store (and) began to remove his clothing,” Honea said.
Deputies responding to the store found Coleman naked and took him into custody, the sheriff said.
Coleman has a juvenile record and was wanted on a warrant out of Alameda for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person related to his juvenile arrest, Ramsey said. He declined Thursday to elaborate on Coleman’s juvenile record.
Update 12:55 p.m. EST Feb. 3: Sheriff Kory Honea declined Thursday to identify the woman killed in Wednesday’s shooting, citing the need to notify her family.
Four other people remained hospitalized Thursday afternoon, Honea said, including an 11-year-old girl who was last listed in stable condition. A pregnant 25-year-old woman suffered gunshot wounds and was last listed in critical condition, the sheriff said, and a 32-year-old man who was shot multiple times was listed in critical condition after undergoing surgery. Officials said a 38-year-old man also suffered an injury described as minor. He was in good condition and expected to be released later Thursday.
Original report: First responders arrived and found “several subjects suffering from gunshot wounds,” according to the news release. One person died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The shooting suspect fled the scene before law enforcement officials arrived, KCRA-TV reported. Officers eventually found the suspect at a nearby Walmart, according to the television station.
The alleged gunman was taken into custody and transported to the Butte County Jail, KRCR-TV reported.
Greyhound Lines Inc. issued a statement in response to the incident.
“Our primary concern at this time is the safety of our driver and passengers,” Crystal Booker, a spokesperson for Greyhound Lines, Inc., said in a statement. “We are working closely with local authorities.”
The sheriff’s office said it would release more details at a news conference at 9 a.m. PST Thursday.
