Passengers who were on a MARTA train where a gunman shot two people are calling the train operator a hero.
They say while there was panic and chaos on the train, she remained calm and raced toward the gunfire.
“There was a criminal on the train, but there was also a hero,” passenger Laura Showman told Channel 2’s Tom Jones on Tuesday.
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Showman says the operator of the train took control immediately after the shooting Sunday.
“She put herself in danger. She didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
Showman, her husband and two small children were here from Alabama to visit the Georgia Aquarium and took the train back to the airport.
“(I) heard three gunshots and knew immediately what that was. It was very loud,” Showman recalled.
The shots came from two cars away at the East Point station.
Police say a gunman shot a man in the chest and a bullet grazed another passenger in the neck. Both are recovering. The shooter got away.
Showman says the danger didn’t stop the train’s operator from running toward the gunfire.
“We don’t know what just happened, but here comes somebody who is taking action and she’s gonna go save the day. I was like, ‘Wow,’” Showman said.
She says the operator had her first aid kit and gloves and ran towards the victims. Showman says she was professional, efficient and unafraid.
Once police and paramedics arrived, “She got all of the passengers onto another train and then took over that train.”
And she got them to the airport.
Showman gave the operator a hug, saying it was for going above and beyond her job responsibilities to keep her passengers safe.
“I was impressed. I was really amazed and thankful,” she said. “And I thought she’s a hero today.”
Jones connected Showman with MARTA so she could express how she felt about the operator’s bravery.
Jones asked to speak to the operator, but MARTA declined the invitation.
Police continue their search for the gunman and say they have good leads.
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