Man charged with murder for stabbing victim to death on CapMetro bus
People seen fleeing CapMetro bus after stabbing
Police are investigating the murder of a man on a CapMetro bus in South Austin. A business nearby showed video of people running away from the violence covered in blood
AUSTIN, Texas - A man was arrested and charged with murder for stabbing another man to death on a CapMetro bus.
New details on deadly stabbing
The backstory:
Police said on May 14, around 6:45 p.m., officers and Austin-Travis County EMS responded to a shoot/stab hotshot call in the 500 block of South Lamar Boulevard. The caller said someone had been stabbed on a CapMetro bus.
When officers arrived, they found a victim, later identified as Akshay Gupta, with trauma to his body. He later died from his injuries.
Man killed while riding CapMetro bus in South Austin: APD
Police said officers responded to the 500 block of S Lamar Blvd. after receiving multiple calls about a man covered in blood on a CapMetro bus.
The investigation showed the suspect, 31-year-old Deepak Kandel, was sitting next to Gupta on the bus when, without provocation, Kandel stabbed Gupta in the neck.
Once the bus stopped, Kandel left the bus with other passengers.
Deepak Kandel, 31
Police were able to find Kandel shortly after and arrest him. He admitted to stabbing Gupta because he said Gupta looked like his uncle.
Kandel was booked into the Travis County Jail and was charged with murder.
What you can do:
If anyone needs to get their personal belongings that were left on the CapMetro bus, contact CapMetro customer service at 512-474-1200 for instructions.
Anyone with information should contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
Business reacts
Local perspective:
Anthony Vazquez is the owner of Dooby's Smoking Depot, which is near the bus stop.
"A gentleman just opened the door and started screaming for help. He was covered in blood, all on his arms, had it all over his shirt, and all he said was, 'I need help, someone's been stabbed on the bus, please call the cops,'" he said.
Within minutes, a swarm of first responders showed up.
"The biggest thing for me was definitely empathy and feeling remorse for all those people," Vazquez said.
Austin police investigate homicide on bus
FOX 7 Austin's Jessica Rivera has the latest on the investigation about the incident that happened on a CapMetro bus at around 7 p.m. in the 500 block of South Lamar Boulevard.
CapMetro says they continually evaluate their safety measures.
"It was horrific, and it should not have happened. We are doing everything possible to support the passengers who were on board and our bus operator who acted with utmost professionalism during incredibly difficult circumstances," Dottie Watkins, president and CEO of CapMetro, said. "Everyone deserves to be safe and feel safe on CapMetro system, and I'm personally committed to ensuring that they are."
"We definitely come to work nervous already. Now we're more nervous and a little bit better prepared," Vazquez said.
He says this incident is another reminder to always be careful.
"We already get to deal with tons of mental health issues, tons of drug addicts, tons of issues as it is," he said. "It does definitely shed light on just the growing increase in violence in Austin as a whole and that everybody legitimately needs to be fully aware of their surroundings."
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen