‘What if it was my nephew?’: White Center community holds vigil after fatal metro bus shooting

WHITE CENTER, Wash. — Many in the White Center community are still reeling after a 21-year-old was shot and killed inside a metro bus Tuesday afternoon. More than a dozen people gathered at the bus stop off Roxbury and 15th Street Wednesday evening to honor the victim and call an end to the violence.

“The fact that we are able to come together as a community, even though it’s small, that’s very impactful,” Michael Sullivan, who lives in White Center, said.

The vigil was put together by Chris Leming, who told us while he didn’t personally know the victim, but felt compelled to bring the community together to grieve.

“What if that guy was my brother, you know? What if it was my nephew? What if it was my best friend?” Leming said. “When it’s a stranger, it’s just somebody else, right? But if you bring it closer to home, then you really feel it. Somebody is missing that guy right now.”

Tuesday’s shooting isn’t the only violent incident to happen on public transit in the past week. Two people were assaulted by a man with a hammer at the Beacon Hill station

We asked Metro Transit Police if they would be willing to speak with us about public safety when it comes to transit. The police chief agreed to talk but was told he had to get approval from either King County Metro or the County Executive’s Office. A spokesperson with King County Metro sent this statement in response to the shooting:

Metro’s No. 1 priority is the safety of our employees and customers and we continue to invest in and improve our security efforts. We are saddened by this tragic incident and are supporting King County Sheriff’s detectives in their investigation as they pursue the suspect in this incident.

These incidents are isolated and rare, and we are grateful that the other passengers and our transit operator were not injured.

We take incidents like this very seriously. We have added a security presence on the H Line today and will maintain that presence into the foreseeable future.

As part of the approved budget, Metro continues to hire and expand the number of transit security officers (TSOs) that patrol our buses and transit centers. In the event of a security incident, transit operators inform the Transit Control Center (TCC) who in turn notify local law enforcement. We are grateful to the Seattle Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office for their quick response. – Jeff Switzer, King County Metro Spokesperson

Neighbors believe that it will take a group effort to put an end to the violence.

“But I truly believe love, compassion, and a peaceful heart is far more powerful than that,” Leming said.

Of course, if anyone has any information on who the shooter is, they are urged to give the King County Sheriff’s Office a call.

©2023 Cox Media Group