DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — MARTA officials have released the name of the driver who lost his life Friday following a dispute with a group over a $2.50 bus fare.
They said Leroy Ramos, 47, was shot multiple times outside the Marta Station along Church Street in Decatur.
While the new driver had only been working for the company since October, he had already joined the local chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Union.
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ACU Local 732 President Britt Dunams said Ramos was from New York and was a husband and a father.
“It’s a cloud that’s over. It’s kind of heart-wrenching, just knowing that we have lost a family member,” Dunams said.
Ramos’ daughter shared with Channel 2′s Brittany Kleinpeter that her father came from humble beginnings and was a family man, adding that he was known as a ‘giver’. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters, and a 7-year-old son.
Fellow MARTA drivers like Terrence Gibson said Ramos’ death has their community on edge and they’re demanding that leaders provide more protection.
Gibson, alongside union members, are asking leaders to install protective barriers that separate drivers from the public, as well as prohibit passengers from being able to carry weapons on board buses.
Dunam said he also wants better policing on board buses and at stations, in addition to de-escalation training for all bus operators.
“We want to be able to come home like we came. We come to serve this city, and we serve this city very well,” Gibson said.
MARTA Officials say a bystander also received a “superficial wound” after being hit by a ricocheting bullet on Friday.
They said two of the three people involved in Friday’s argument have been arrested but that they are still looking for a third suspect.
The two people who were arrested are minors.
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