While several passengers scrambled toward the doors after two people were wounded in a shooting on a CTA bus Wednesday, Malik Nitz ran toward the danger.
Nitz, a 28-year-old who is an aspiring paramedic, saw an opportunity to help.
“My first response [after hearing the shot] was, ‘Who got hit?'” Nitz told the Sun-Times. “Everyone was running off the bus, and I was running to the incident where the shot was fired.”
Nitz found a 65-year-old woman who was struck in the arm and told her to remain calm before tending to a 57-year-old man who was wounded and collapsed after attempting to chase the shooter, he said.
“I didn’t know if he was going to make it,” said Nitz, who will soon start training to become a paramedic and used his general knowledge to treat the shooting victims.
. “I had to get like some tissue, some wrap or some napkins or something to stop the internal bleeding.”
“I didn’t want to press too hard on it because I didn’t want to expand his wound,” Nitz added. “So I applied light pressure to try to stop the bleeding. I ended up getting blood on my clothes, but I mean that’s the least of my problems.”
The injured man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. The woman, struck in her left arm, was transported to the same hospital in fair condition, police said.
Nitz was on his way home from work when a man and woman began fighting with another passenger over a wet seat around 4:40 p.m. in the 300 block of West 63rd Street, according to Nitz and police reports obtained by the Sun-Times.
“Basically, the lady wanted him to get up, and he didn’t want to get up, so she apparently got to swinging on him,” Nitz said.
When the argument turned physical, the seated passenger reportedly pulled a gun and fired, authorities said.
Nitz noted that there were “a lot of scared people” on the bus, including several high school students.
“The children were running off the bus, and they were screaming at the top of their lungs,” Nitz said. “The bus was very intense.”
Estrelitta Harmon, executive director with the Center For Better Aging, called the shooting “unacceptable” and stressed the importance of including older adults in conversations about public safety.
The agency provides support resources — including transportation — to thousands of South Side residents over 50.
“Transportation is the largest social barrier to access to care, but it isn’t just about connecting to healthcare,” Harmon said. “It’s about navigating throughout your life, about getting access to grocery stores or shopping or connecting with your family in your community. And so, so many of our older adults in the city rely on public transportation.”
Harmon noted that safety on public transportation is extremely important, especially for the city’s older population.
“The seniors in our community, they deserve to feel safe. They deserve to maintain their independence and participate fully in their communities,” Harmon said. “I am hopeful that we will see a future where that exists for our entire population.”