Teen Shot Dead On CTA Bus

Pictures From CTA Bus Camera

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CHICAGO (STNG) - An accidental hand brush  between two men on a South Side CTA bus Sunday night led to the shooting death of a 17-year-old Chicago high school student.

The shooting interrupted a typical teenage moment -- Julian High School senior Kiyanna Salter was chatting with a friend on her cell phone when the shots rang out aboard the No. 71 bus traveling along 71st Street in Grand Crossing, said her cousin who was with her.

“The last thing she said was, ‘why are you in the house,’ ’’ said Jasmine Wilcox, 18. “ . . . I ducked down. I looked up. She was lying on the floor and I was just holding her hand, telling her to wake up.”

Chicago Police were checking videotape: All CTA buses are equipped with four to seven security cameras. They also were canvassing the area, but no arrests had been made as of Monday afternoon.

The cousins -- more like best friends or sisters -- were on their way home at 10 p.m. to the 11300 block of South Racine from visiting a sick aunt when the shooting happened. The bus was just coming to Cottage Grove.

The shooting was a chilling reminder to many of the 2007 fatal shooting of another Julian student -- honor student Blair Holt. He was on his way home when he was shot on the No. 103 at 103rd
and Halsted.

“I was numb,’’ said Ron Holt, Blair’s father. “You can’t pat people down [on a bus]. And look at what we get. It seems like it’s the young and innocent who get killed.’’

Wilcox said the argument between the two men started because one man accidently touched the hand of the other as he was getting off the bus. There was a short exchange of threats, and she thought one displayed a handgun on the bus, Wilcox said. The other man then got of the bus and took out his own gun, firing back through the back door where the cousins were sitting.

“They’re killing our kids,’’ said Kiyanna’s aunt, who did not want to give her name. Kiyanna stayed with her on Racine during the week so she could attend Julian. “How would they feel if it was one of their kids? You have to experience this to learn how it feels.’’

Kiyanna was well-liked and had lots of friends at Julian, said family and school officials. She loved basketball and her fashion design class and planned to study medicine or to be a medical assistant.

“She was mellow,’’ said Wilcox, adding that her cousin stayed mostly to herself. Kiyanna’s aunt agreed -- and that’s why she didn’t worry about her.

“If you’ve got a good child and you know they’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t too much worry about them because you know God’s got them,’’ she said, tears streaming her face. “I guess it was her time to go. He just needed her. He needed her.’’