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WEST PARK, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale man accused of shooting a Broward County Transit bus mate after arguing now behind bars.
Mario Alphonso Williams, 51, faces a premeditated murder charge in the Sunday shooting death of 42-year-old Joseph Jackson, Broward’s sheriff’s office said Tuesday. Records show Williams had a previous conviction for murder.
Investigators say there was a “brief verbal altercation” on the bus Sunday afternoon and that Williams showed Jackson he had a gun and threatened to kill him.
Deputies say that when the bus stopped and Jackson came out at the exit, Williams opened fire, shooting Jackson several times in the back.
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Williams then left the bus and fired additional wheels at Jackson before fleeing the scene, investigators said.
A witness allegedly saw what was happening and followed the shooter off the bus, watching him throw evidence, including a pistol and a bible. Mario Williams’ name was written on one of the pages of the Bible, according to authorities, which helped lead to the arrest.
A call to 911 arrived just before 2pm on Sunday near the intersection of Southwest 35th Street and South State Road 7 in West Park.
When deputies arrived, they found Jackson, of Miami Gardens, on the sidewalk with several gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Family members say Jackson was bipolar and schizophrenic and talked to himself frequently. They wonder if this caused the bus disturbance and wonder why it should have caused violence.
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“You could have stopped,” Jackson’s aunt Rosa Taylor said. “You could have said, ‘He’s gone, it’s not worth it, he’s not a threat to me.’
Authorities are still trying to figure out how things escalated so quickly.
Following his arrest, Williams faced a judge on Tuesday and is being held without bail in Broward Main Prison.
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