AUSTIN, Texas — A bus driver was injured after being struck by what is believed to have been a stray bullet in southeast Austin on Sunday morning.
The incident happened around 2:40 a.m. near Burton Drive and East Riverside Drive, Capital Metro said.
The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released. There were two other passengers on board at the time, and they were not injured.
CapMetro does not believe the driver was the intended target and said the incident appeared to be the result of an altercation between two other vehicles. The Austin Police Department is currently investigating.
The driver, Evan Radley, shared his experience exclusively with KVUE. He remembers making his rounds when he heard the gunshots and then the last shot hitting him in the chest.
"At the time, I was just like, in my mind, I'm like, oh man, is this how I'm gonna go down? Like this? You know, I was like, why here?" Radley said.
Radley is now calling on CapMetro for more protections to be put in place so drivers like him can be protected.
"Bulletproof windows, or if not, all the drivers get bulletproof vests and again some body armor," Radley said.
Radley has a GoFundMe to assist with his recovery.
His friend, Lydia Pelt, is a fellow driver who makes the same plea.
"It's a very dangerous job, and a lot of people don't realize, you know, that we actually put our lives on the line with no protections, you know, on the daily," Pelt said.
As Radley heals his professional and physical wounds, he admits it's hard to grasp what happened.
"All of the bus drivers are really friendly, nice people and then like, what did I do? Did I somehow magically make an enemy?," Radley explained.
CapMetro sent the following statement to KVUE about the incident:
"We are very fortunate and grateful that our operator is doing OK this morning after this terrifying ordeal,” CapMetro said. “Our team has been in contact with him, and he’s now home resting. We cannot stress enough, the important role our team has in our community, but our staff deserves to feel safe while at work.”
No other information is available at this time.