Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/Getty Images
A gunman opened fire at multiple locations in a series of random shootings Wednesday, killing a Washington DC subway employee and wounding three others.
According to the authorities, DC Metro worker was fatally shot after attempting to intervene when the gunman confronted a woman on the platform from the subway at the Potomac Avenue station.
“Your heroism has to be recognized here today.Ashan Benedict, deputy chief executive of police for the Metropolitan Police Department, said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
BREAKING – Metro employee shot and killed today was 64 year old Robert Cunningham. A mechanic in Metro’s power department. He is being hailed as a hero for stepping in to help a customer who was being threatened with a gun. #wmata @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/2uVX9kdKrk
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) February 1, 2023
DC Metro identified the employee as Robert Cunningham, 64.a mechanic in your power department.
“Metro mourns the loss of a heroic employee, Robert Cunningham, who intervened on behalf of a patron today at the Potomac Avenue station and was the victim of senseless gun violence,” the agency said. “In his memory, Metro has lowered its flags to half mast in this moment of grief.”
Police said they believe the shooter may have been trying to rob the young woman.
The shootings began around 9 am, when a man allegedly shot someone in the leg.
The suspect then shot another person in the leg inside the nearby metro station. The person was trying to buy a metro card when an altercation occurred and he was shot. The suspect then grabbed the individual over the turnstile before they were released.
Both shooting victims are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
“The fact that our citizens have to intervene with a gunman worries me,” Benedict said.
Officers found the suspect on the train platform of the Potomac Avenue Subway Station and took him into custody., but the police still do not know the reason for the attacks. A gun was recovered on the train tracks.
“We have a gun violence problem in America, and sometimes, unfortunately, that finds its way into Metro. But this isn’t a Metro-specific security issue. It’s an American gun violence problem. And I think that’s becoming more and more clear across the United States by the day.” outside,” said Randy Clarke, general manager and chief executive officer of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
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