Regulars of RTD's Route 76 are stunned after a shooting on the bus Thursday night left a Lakewood police agent dead and three agents and one passenger hurt.
Crime scene tape and flowers the remnants of the tragedy are hard to miss at Colfax and Wadsworth.
Nate Weickum rides RTD Route 76 regularly. He told Denver7 that Officer Nicholas Graham, the Lakewood police agent killed in the shooting, had talked to him earlier that day.
"It's pretty scary," Weickum said. "How someone could just, you know, live and then be gone the next day."
Riders aren't the only ones stunned.
Ronald Short is with ATU 1001, the union that represents RTD employees, which stepped in to help the moment they heard what happened Thursday night.
"In an instance such as this, a grave tragedy, you can't prepare for this," Short said.
Short told Denver7 the driver of the bus is physically fine, but the incident has left their community shaken.
"It's a very traumatic situation that occurred in front of him. So we're just going to give him all the support that he needs at this point," Short said.
With how quickly things unfolded, Short praised the driver.
"Kudos to the operator for keeping his wits in that situation and coming out unharmed," Short said.
With the safety of the RTD system back in the spotlight, Denver7 looked into whether any other safety measures would be added. RTD has not responded.
But Short believes the agency is doing what it should on safety.
"Transit is very safe. Transit is very reliable. They've had issues in the past. Those issues have been addressed and are still being addressed," Short said.
Short says that includes ongoing training.
"RTD offers refresher courses or training on different areas and aspects of the job. But this is one topic that we always are open to giving our operators more knowledge on how to handle these situations," Short said.
That training is crucial because he said the risks are always there.
"We have to negotiate traffic, people on the bus. As in last night's incident, you don't know who's walking through your doors or what's going to happen," Short said.
That unknown will stick with these bus riders as they process the tragedy.
"Whatever happens, you know, just to, you know, be safe, more cautious when you ride the bus," Weickum said.
The union says it will be there to support its members in the coming days.
Short said RTD is also offering counseling for people working on this bus route.
All are expressing their condolences to Lakewood police as they grieve.
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