A 41-year-old man was shot and killed aboard a city bus in the Bronx on Monday afternoon, in an attack that has left police searching for the gunman. Authorities confirmed that the victim died after being shot while he was on board the bus.
According to police, the shooting happened at around 3 o'clock in the afternoon on East Tremont Avenue, at its intersection with White Plains Road. The location, a busy Bronx crossroads, was quickly cordoned off as officers responded.
Investigators were seen taking pictures inside the city bus as they began processing the scene. The images of officers working onboard underscored that the violence had unfolded in the confined space of a public transit vehicle.
The victim has since been identified as 41-year-old Jonathan Pettigrew. Relatives described him as a father who was not a street person but rather a funny man who was very into sports. According to his family, he was on his way home from work and was going to pick up his daughter from school when he was killed. His brother, who spoke publicly about the loss, said he just wants justice and hopes the person responsible pays for what he has done.
Investigators have pointed to an argument as the trigger for the violence. According to the account, the victim got into a dispute with another passenger who was talking loudly on the phone. The other passenger then shot him in the stomach and took off, fleeing the scene as the wounded man tried to get off the bus.
Police are now focused on identifying and finding the gunman. Police sources said they are looking for a 15-year-old boy who they believe pulled the trigger, and that they plan to arrest him as soon as possible. The search for the teenage suspect has become the central thread of the investigation.
Witnesses described chaos in the aftermath, with people running from the bus as the scene unfolded at a spot that is not a regular stop. Accounts indicated that the bus had been carrying other riders at the time, including young children, heightening the alarm over a shooting that played out in a confined public space. Officials said the investigation into the killing was continuing.