RTC bus driver faces attempted murder charge after passenger shot Friday
The driver of a Regional Transportation Commission bus is facing an attempted murder charge after a bus passenger was shot near the Silverton on Friday.
Norman Chen, 53, was booked Saturday at the Clark County Detention Center and is being held without bail. He is due in court Wednesday.
The shooting happened just west of the casino about 6:30 p.m. near the intersection of Blue Diamond Road and Dean Martin Drive, Metro said. It stemmed from a fight between the passenger and the driver, and the weapon was fired outside the bus.
The passenger was shot but the wound wasn’t life-threatening. It’s unclear what started the fight, but police said there were no other passengers on board at the time.
Chen has been an RTC bus driver since 2011, according to Bill Marion, a spokesman for Keolis Transit America, the company that contracts regional bus drivers. Chen has been placed on administrative leave pending Metro’s investigation.
Local court records showed Chen does not have a criminal history. Marion said he couldn’t comment whether Chen had been involved in any previous incidents as an employee.
The spokesman did say a company policy explicitly states Keolis “prohibits all persons who enter company property from carrying a handgun, firearm or weapon of any kind,” regardless of whether the person is licensed to carry the weapon.
The policy is one that “every driver and employee is briefed on,” Marion said, and it is printed in each employee’s handbook.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find @rachelacrosby Twitter.
