Shooting On Milwaukee Bus; Man Faces Attempted Homicide Charge: Cops

MILWAUKEE, WI — A man was charged with attempted homicide on Friday after police said he shot a stranger on a Milwaukee County bus in August.

A 41-year-old man was taking a seat on the bus near Sherman Boulevard and Capitol Drive on Aug. 24 when a man wearing a bucket hat asked him "what's up," according to a criminal complaint.

The 41-year-old replied "what's up" back and was looking down at his phone texting his girlfriend when the man in the bucket hat, identified by police as 32-year-old Melvin Rashard Goodwin, shot him in the shoulder, according to the criminal complaint.

Rashard Goodwin faces a charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide with use of a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the criminal complaint. If convicted on the attempted homicide charge, he faces up to 60 years in prison.

The Route 302 bus driver told police she didn't see the shooting but noted the man wearing the black bucket had acted erratically before she heard the gunshot, according to a criminal complaint.

Police said the surveillance footage from the bus showed the accused shooter looking at the 41-year-old a few times before pulling out a pistol to shoot him and leave the bus, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators found a spent .45 caliber casing and a deformed bullet fragment on the bus, the complaint said.

Police later arrested Rashard Goodwin on Aug. 28 when he drove off from police near 4226 West Villard Avenue, the complaint said. Officers found a .45 caliber semi-auto pistol inside his car which investigators analyzed and connected with the spent casing found on the bus.

In a statement Friday, MCTS said "we provide high-definition camera footage from the bus to law enforcement. The bus is one of the safest places in the community and we’re committed to keeping it that way. We want everyone to think twice before you commit a crime on any MCTS bus. We have 10 cameras on each bus, so that’s 3,000 cameras across millions of miles throughout the county, nearly 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We work hand-in-hand with local law enforcement to help ensure Milwaukee County’s public transit system is safe for everyone, and this speedy arrest is proof."