Amtrak shooting in Tucson: At least one person in custody of police
- Authorities said there is no active threat in the area anymore
- No crew or passengers were hurt, Amtrak officials said
- 137 passengers and 11 crew members were aboard the train in Tucson
One person has been taken in custody after someone open fired while being on the Amtrak train in Arizona’s Tucson on Monday, according to media reports citing law enforcement officials.
The shooting incident happened around 8 am on a parked train at the downtown station of Tucson. Authorities further clarified that the area where the shooting happened has now been secured and no active threat remains.
Jason Abrams, the spokesperson of Amtrak said in a statement that no crew and passengers have reported injuries, according to reports from Associated Press.
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The train, which was called The Sunset Limited, arrived at Tucson at 7:40 am on Monday while travelling to Lousiana’s New Orleans from California’s Los Angeles. A total of 137 passengers were aboard the train in addition to 11 crew members, Abrams said. He further added that all those aboard the train have been safely evacuated to the railway station.
Evan Courtney was in a lounge car when people suddenly came running in yelling “Shots fired!”
“I grabbed my backpack and ran,” Courtney told The Associated Press via Twitter direct messaging.
He said he huddled with other passengers while looking out the window. He saw several tactical police officers with assault rifles behind barricades. After 15 minutes, “police ran to us and told us to get out of the car and run in the opposite direction.”
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Courtney later tweeted a photo of nearly two dozen officers including two embracing.
Dramatic video on social media taken from a camera at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum shows some of the shooting. Multiple shots can be heard from inside a train before an officer with a canine enters the car. More shots are heard and that same officer is seen fleeing with the dog in tow.
Tucson, home to the University of Arizona, is 113 miles (182 kilometers) south of Phoenix.
(With AP inputs)
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