Judge bans Charlotte bus shooter from all transit, says driver defended himself

Julia Coin
·3 min read
2

The Charlotte man who authorities say shot a CATS bus driver is now banned from all city public transportation and jailed with a $250,000 bond, a judge ruled Wednesday morning.

Omarri Sharrif Tobias, 22, and the bus driver shot at each other after getting into an argument near Steele Creek’s Charlotte Premium Outlet Mall Thursday, according to information from police and a spokesperson for Charlotte Area Transit System. Tobias stayed in the hospital with life-threatening injuries for six days, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officials said.

He now faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, carrying a concealed firearm and communicating threats, according to a CMPD news release. His next court date is June 6.

It’s not clear what led to the argument and violence.

According to jail records, this is Tobias’ fifth arrest in the last three years. He previously faced charges for strangulation, trespassing, communicating threats, assaulting a female and driving a stolen car, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office website. He was last released from jail September 2021.

It is not clear whether the bus driver, who was also taken to the hospital, will face charges, but Mecklenburg County District Court Judge Roderick Davis Wednesday said he thought the bus driver was warranted in defending himself.

Violence; CATS bus safety

In 2022, 41-year-old CATS driver Ethan Rivera died after being shot aboard his bus. Police charged Darian Dru Thavychith, 21, with murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle, according to jail records.

Road rage led him to open fire, police said.

More than $5.5 million could be allocated for camera replacements, dispatch upgrades and safety programs if CATS’ proposed capital project budget for 2024-2028 is approved.

Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs said this was in the CATS budget long before last week’s shooting — and it’s needed.

”The concerns for safety are a reflection of concerns of safety in our city generally,” said Driggs who chairs the city’s transportation committee. “Young people are shooting each other for minor disputes.”

The bus shooting is one of several confrontations that have recently sparked conversation about gun violence locally and across the nation.

  • On April 18, a man shot at a family in Gaston County after a basketball rolled into his yard, according to police. He left a 6-year-old girl with a stitched cheek.

  • On April 24, an 8-year-old girl woke up to a bullet piercing her head in the middle of the night. It was a drive-by shooting, police said. Officials have yet to release any information about a motive. The girl, Olivia Velez, has since endured life-altering injuries and lost feeling in half her body, her family said.

  • Also on April 24, Robert Prebble dropped a semi-automatic pistol during Cracker Barrel’s dinner service, police said. The stray bullet left one man inside the restaurant with shrapnel permanently in his leg. Police did not arrest Prebble, 64, of Ohio, for violating North Carolina concealed weapons law. They instead issued a citation, according to police records.