A man and a female teenager were shot aboard a Metrobus near a charter school in Southeast Washington on Thursday morning, according to D.C. and Metro Transit police.
But some students from the school were aboard the A2 Metrobus when the shooting occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m., according to a letter to parents from the school in the Washington Highlands neighborhood.
The letter, shared by a school spokesman, said students who were on the bus “are all safe and have been accounted for at the school.” The school did not go into lockdown, the letter said, adding “our teachers and staff did a great job of securing the campus.”
D.C. police said they were looking for an assailant who appeared to be about 17 years old. No arrest had been made as of late Thursday morning.
A Metro spokeswoman, Sherri Ly, said the shooting appeared to have occurred during an argument between two men on the bus. One man shot the other, she said, and “the bullet then ricocheted off the floor, striking the juvenile female.” One of the victims was found on the bus, police said, and another had exited and was found outside.
Both victims were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke, who was at a Metro board meeting Thursday, said he was aware of the shooting.
He said police have launched a redeployment plan in recent months that includes more officers on buses, trains and in stations, adding both protection and visibility.
Clarke said Metro is adding “screens” this week at stations to inform people that they are under video surveillance. Buses, he said, also have surveillance cameras aboard.
Transit police, meanwhile, also have increased recruiting efforts and are graduating more recruits than in previous years to fill long-standing officer shortages.