A New Jersey Transit bus driver was arrested after he opened fire on a group of teens who were attacking him.
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The shooting took place around 10 p.m. Saturday in Jersey City when 48-year-old Charles Fieros was caught on video firing several shots towards the group near Monticello and Jewett Avenues. Authorities said prior to the shooting, Fieros was assaulted by the group outside of his bus but the cause of the assault is currently unknown. In the video clip, Fieros is seen getting up from the ground after the teens finish kicking him while a person yells “Ya’ll stop” then “oh sh*.” Moments later, the bus driver pulls a gun from his pocket and opens fire.
Investigators said a 15-year-old boy was hit by gunfire and transported to a local hopsital via taxi. He sustained three gunshot wounds to his stomach but was listed in stable condition. Fieros was arrested on multiple charges for the shooting and it was revealed that the gun he used was stolen.
He faces multiple charges including unlawful possession of a handgun, aggravated assault, attempted murder, and recieving stolen property. After news of the shooting made its way through local media, the video went viral on Twitter.
Twitter reacts to the video and some users believe the New Jersey Transit bus driver acted on self defense
After the video was orginally shared by HudPost earlier today, the post recieved over 1,300 retweets and 2,271 likes. However, many users felt Fieros was defending himself against teens as a rebuttal for the assault. One user wrote, ‘They jumped him though. I doubt he knew they were just “teens” Is this not self defense? Somebody lemme know.’ Users also criticized New Jersey’s self defense laws which states there are limitations on the type of force you can use depending on the case.
“4. Use of Force in Self-Protection. a. Use of force justifiable for protection of the person. Subject to the provisions of this section and of section 2C:3-9, the use of force upon or toward another person is justifiable when the actor reasonably believes that such force is immediately necessary for the purpose of protecting himself against the use of unlawful force by such other person on the present occasion.”
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