Metro Transit Shootings Prompt Officials To Up Police Presence

WASHINGTON, DC — A week after a gunman fatally shot a Metro Transit employee and injured three others during a seemingly random shooting, Washington, D.C. officials announced a new initiative that will increase police presence at public transportation hubs throughout the city.

Starting next week and continuing through June, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit police will partner to patrol different stations and transit centers in Washington, D.C.

The goal is to improve police visibility and response time, especially during rush hours, officials said in a statement.

“We know that residents and visitors want to see a strong police presence in our community, and that’s what this partnership will allow us to provide,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement. “When police are in the community, people feel safer and our officers can respond faster. Hundreds of thousands of people use Metro every day to move around DC, and now, they can expect to see more MPD officers out during their commutes.”

On Feb. 1, a Metro Transit employee was killed and three others were injured in a shooting that suspended train service and prompted delays at Potomac Avenue station in D.C.

According to police, the shootings started on a Metrobus near 14th and Potomac avenues when the gunman — later identified by police as Isaiah Trotman, 34, of Washington, D.C. — brandished a weapon and threatened passengers. Police said Trotman followed a man off the bus and shot him in the leg.

Authorities said Trotman then entered the station, where he shot someone in the leg as they were buying a Metro pass. Police said Trotman then went to the station platform and attempted to assault a woman. Two Metro Transit employees saw the confrontation and tried to intervene, according to police; however, Trotman immediately shot one of the employees.

The Metro Transit employee killed was identified as 64-year-old Robert Cunningham, a mechanic in the agency's power department.

Trotman was charged with first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Last month, a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old were among three people shot when a fight broke out on a Metro bus. The shooting happened after a group of people boarded the bus and began assaulting a rider, authorities said.

Currently, the city's public transportation system includes more than 1,500 buses and 97 train stations connected by 128 miles of track spanning D.C., Maryland and Virginia, according to the Washington Post. Some stations span two city blocks and multiple levels.

Metro Transit police employ 387 officers, nearly 80 short of a full complement, The Post reported.

Under the new partnership, two officers per station will conduct joint patrols. Patrols will start at five stations, chosen based on crime data, officials said. Those stations are Metro Center, Gallery Place, Georgia Ave - Petworth, Congress Heights and Union Station.

Metro Transit officials hope to eventually partner with police departments in other jurisdictions serviced by the agency and ultimately increase patrols on rail stations and bus routes by as much as 60 percent, according to a news release.