Left: Zhontay Capers, according to Philadelphia police. Right: Bernard Gribbin, pictured on Facebook.
A Philadelphia woman who shot and killed a SEPTA bus driver in broad daylight has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Zhontay Capers, 24, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, five counts of recklessly endangering another person and other charges in connection with the death of 45-year-old Bernard Gribbin. Court records show she received a sentence of 33 1/2 to 67 years behind bars.
Gribbin had worked for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority for 12 years.
Prosecutors said Gribbin had just arrived at a stop near Germantown and Abbottsford avenues at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2023, when Capers opened fire. She struck him on his right side, exited the bus, then turned back and fired again. Gribbin was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Capers fled the scene and was arrested later.
“Bernard will never be forgotten,” Will Vera, president of Transport Workers Union Local 234, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In a statement to the newspaper, SEPTA board chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and general manager Scott A. Sauer said the agency is working with state lawmakers to strengthen penalties for assaults against transit employees following Gribbin’s killing.
“Unfortunately, nothing can bring Bernard back to us. But in his memory, we are committed to doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of the hardworking men and women who provide the public transit services that hundreds of thousands of our residents rely on every day,” they said.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner described the shooting as “inexcusable.”
“All Philadelphians have the right to feel safe on public transit, especially those working to provide these essential services to our city,” he wrote on X.
Passengers scrambled to escape the bus, with some climbing through windows and emergency exits, witnesses told local Fox affiliate WTXF. No other passengers were hurt.
Authorities have not established a motive. Capers’ family told WTXF that she was “experiencing a mental health crisis” at the time.
The family said Capers’ grandmother, who raised her, died from a brief battle with cancer one week before the shooting. “We knew that was her breaking point,” the statement said. Capers had withdrawn from relatives while experiencing paranoia, and her family said she did not meet the requirements for involuntary hospitalization.
Relatives said they did not hear from Capers again until they learned about the shooting. They argued that the mental health system had failed her.
“Our hope is that she gets the mental health support she truly needs once justice is served!” the family statement concluded.
Gribbin’s relatives and colleagues later gathered for a balloon release in his honor. Co-workers remembered him as a dedicated employee and a good friend.
“We all come here just to take care of our families just like Bernard did,” Keith Bradford, the SEPTA Midvale District union representative, told local ABC affiliate WPVI. “None of us expect that when we put our uniform on in the morning that will be the last time we will come back.”
“We have to get a full bulletproof door or something,” Bradford said. “Bernard lost his life for what? He was doing his job.”
Bradford said Gribbin maintained a positive outlook, even during difficult moments.
“Bernard would laugh at us, and tell us to keep our head up and keep our foot on the gas,” Bradford told the outlet.