An 18-year-old from Houston is facing federal weapons charges after a fatal shooting on a local Metro bus earlier this month. Patrick Santana Scott, already in custody on related charges, has been charged with illegal possession of a machine gun and unlawful receipt of a firearm and ammunition, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The January 7 incident left a female passenger dead and a juvenile male injured. According to a January 16 criminal complaint and a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Scott was seated at the back of the bus with a backpack when shots were fired, sparking a deadly exchange. Authorities allege that the firearm retrieved from his backpack was equipped with a “switch,” allowing a semi-automatic weapon to fire fully automatically.
Court documents show that shell casings from the scene were linked to a 9mm Glock associated with Scott, which was recovered the next day. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said, "A young woman was killed and a teenager endures a long recovery because of the disregard Scott and a teen rival held for innocent lives on that bus that afternoon."
At the time of the shooting, Scott was under indictment in Harris County for aggravated robbery, making it illegal for him to possess firearms or ammunition. The FBI, with the Houston Police Department and ATF, investigated the incident. If convicted, Scott could face up to 10 years for machine gun possession and up to five years for firearm and ammunition receipt, plus a possible $250,000 fine per charge. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Black.
