TAMPA, Fla. — Justin McGriff has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he stabbed and killed a Tampa bus driver.
One day after the stabbing, we’re learning that bus driver and others had expressed concerns about his safety just months ago.
The driver told Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority’s board in a December meeting that he felt unsafe on the job. He described a time when a passenger spit on him, and he asked the board to beef up security on buses.
Five months later, a passenger killed him on his route. HART is calling that driver a hero. He was able to safely pull the bus with 12 other passengers over even after he'd been stabbed.
However, the driver’s death raises security concerns once again.
HART tells us they already have security guards at transit centers, cameras and panic buttons on all buses and a 24-hour control center that's in constant contact with drivers.
At a press conference Sunday, HART said they're going to host a meeting with other bus agencies across the state to talk safety.
“In light of this horrible tragedy, we need to take a deeper look and we need to have 360 view of how we really make sure that we keep this safety and security, and that's what this symposium is going to do,” HART’s director of safety and security, Colin Mulloy, said.
HART is bringing in grief counselors this week for its roughly 350 drivers.
Editor's note: 10News is not naming the driver at the request of his family and HART.
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