'A Life That Was Worth So Much More Than $2.50!' Bus Driver Fatally Shot Over Fare

Family members of the victim are raising money and rallying for support against violence impacting public service workers nationwide.

Three juveniles were arrested following the fatal shooting of a Georgia bus driver after they refused to pay the fare, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority police announced earlier this week.

Leroy Ramos, 47, was shot multiple times on the night of Jan. 3, after MARTA police say the three juveniles got into an argument with him at Decatur Station in the metro-Atlanta area, according to the announcement. The three suspects are now in police custody and are being charged with murder.

Cellphone footage of the incident obtained by WSB-TV appears to show the teens refusing to pay the $2.50 bus fare. Another MARTA employee can be seen holding Ramos back before one juvenile in a red hood appears to pull out a gun and shoot Ramos several times.

MARTA police confirmed that Ramos was killed during “fare dispute,” and a bystander was taken to the hospital with a “superficial” bullet wound, WRDW reports.

Ramos’ death has sparked a greater conversation over the nationwide rise of violent assaults on transit workers, which according to data by the Urban Institute, have tripled since 2008.