A Houston police spokesperson tells Eyewitness News the suspect was shot once in the chest by a police officer and died at Ben Taub Hospital.
The incident started just before 1pm on Fondren at West Bellfort, when one METRO bus passenger held a knife to the throat of another.
Eyewitness Dewayne Randolph said, "The Mexican guy jumped up, grabbed the black guy with a knife, told everybody, 'Get off the bus before I kill him!"
Police say about 20 passengers and the bus driver rushed off the bus after the man's orders. The bus driver called 911. When police arrived the two men were still on board.
"The officer entered the bus and began giving verbal commands for the suspect to drop the knife," HPD spokesperson Jodi Silva said. "The suspect continued to refuse verbal commands and continued to lunge at the passenger. The HPD officer then discharged his weapon."
Police say the suspect died at Ben Taub Hospital. The victim had minor scratches on his hands, but was treated at the scene and will be fine.
Mellanie Scales was at a nearby ATM when police yelled for her to get down.
"You know this is a sign of the times," she said. "People are really going through -- you never know what makes people snap. He just went overboard with it."
We don't know if the two men knew each other or why the fight started in the first place.
The officer has been identified as K. Johnson, assigned to the South Gessner Patrol Division. He's been with the department for 28 years. He is on three days administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation.
