BART riders are on edge after a man was shot dead Saturday in a train at the West Oakland station - the first shooting death in the municipal rail's history.
According to a BART watch commander, the suspect is a bald, slim African-American man who is about 6’3” tall. He was allegedly dressed in a green hoodie, blue jeans, red and black boxers, military-style boots and was carrying a backpack.
Witnesses say a man walked through a few train cars before gunning down the victim as the train pulled into the West Oakland station around 7:50 p.m.
Around 9:45 p.m., police reportedly detained a man, who they believe is connected to the shooting. They questioned the man and let him go later that evening.
BART investigators, who are interviewing witnesses and reviewing video from surveillance cameras, say this appears to be the first ever shooting death on a train.
"Everyone's on pins and needles. You can see it even on the train," said Mattie Scott, a regular rider from San Francisco. "Somebody lost their life on public transportation. That's scary."
Freya Specht of Berkeley, who was riding in the same car when the shooting took place, described the resulting chaos.
Local
"There were people running out and it was really cramped on the stairs and there were people pushing each other," she said.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the West Oakland station was closed due to the investigation. It was reopened around 8 a.m. Sunday.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
