In the early morning of Sunday, April 17, there was an argument and shooting between two passengers on an eastbound Blue Line train at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station. Sadly, the victim of this senseless act of violence died.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is leading the investigation. As is standard procedure, video and other relevant evidence is secured and provided to our police partners as we work closely to support their investigation.
This level of gun violence is shocking, and we are often frustrated on how to prevent such random acts in our community. However, we are hopeful that our resources and assistance with our police partners will solve this case. In cooperation with our police partners, Metro Transit has made many improvements to safety and security over the last two and a half years, and we will continue to invest in security and strong police partnerships now and in the future. This random act of violence is truly disappointing, but our transit community is worth fighting for.
Taulby Roach
President and CEO
Bi-State Development
Over the past 2 ½ years, we have constructed a professional and comprehensive security model for the Metro Transit system. Our security deployments, customer engagement, law enforcement partnerships, and mental health program are having significant impacts on security. The quarterly MetroLink Incident data is posted publicly, and reflects a low rate of incidents on MetroLink. This is data produced by our law enforcement partners. The incident on April 17 was isolated and not indicative of the MetroLink product. We are operating in challenging times but have reduced our rates of incidents and will continue to do so. Our security elements and law enforcement officers work in complete collaboration, using resources to maximize overall security. This being said, as is faced in communities all over our country, predicting when and where a heat of the moment altercation will occur is impossible. Our efforts to professionalize transit public safety in St. Louis are paying off in unpublicized success stories. We will continue to prioritize best practices as it pertains to personnel, law enforcement partnerships, structural security, and safety and security technology.
Kevin B. Scott
General Manager of Security
Bi-State Development