2 shot, killed at Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

Wonderbread · 07:53 AM

Quote:

(08-11) 22:22 PDT RICHMOND, CALIF. -- A domestic dispute turned deadly Tuesday night when a distraught boyfriend killed a toll collector in her booth and shot another toll collector in a parking lot at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, police said.

Authorities identified the suspect as Nathaniel Burris, 46, who was at large Tuesday night after fleeing the scene in an airport shuttle van. Public records show he lived in Richmond with the slain toll collector, Deborah Ross, 51.

The man shot and killed nearby was not identified, but authorities said he was a toll collector who had driven Ross to work and was in his 40s.

A friend of Ross and Burris told The Chronicle the two had known each other for seven years and had been having financial problems. Ross was apparently about to break up with Burris and complained that "he had a temper and was unpredictable."

"I think it was financial stress," said the friend, who did not want to be identified. "What happened today was jealousy. ... There was something wrong with him."

The incident began at 5:35 p.m. at the toll plaza, said Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French. Burris reportedly approached the tollbooth, at the third of seven lanes of the plaza, on foot and broke out the window with the butt of his shotgun. He then allegedly fired twice at Ross, killing her.

He then fired and killed the second toll collector, who was sitting inside a parked Ford truck near the main office of the toll plaza. Burris reportedly got into a Western Eagle airport shuttle van with orange and blue lettering and sped away.

The license plate is 8U40504. Western Eagle is a San Rafael-based airport shuttle service, and a man who answered the company's phone Tuesday night declined to comment.

The couple's friend told The Chronicle that Burris had taken a job with the company in June after losing his truck-driving job last spring and struggling to find another.

The friend said Ross had her own struggles, getting pneumonia earlier this summer and missing work for several weeks. She returned to work this week. The friend also said she had recently had her hours cut and was behind on rent payments.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement saying that Ross had worked for Caltrans for eight years and that he was ordering flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff.

"Deborah was a devoted and hard-working public servant, and we are grateful for her dedicated service to our state," he said.

Jim Zamora, spokesman for Service Employees International Union, Local 1000, said, "Our toll collectors feel vulnerable, and this tragic incident points out the need for increased security on Bay Area bridges, specifically a visible CHP presence to deter robberies. Just last week, a toll collector was robbed at gunpoint on the Benicia Bridge."

He was referring to a July 29 holdup at the Benicia-Martinez Bridge toll plaza.

The last time a Bay Area toll worker was shot was four years ago. Marcellus Cooksey drove a stolen sport utility vehicle up to the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza the night of April 9, 2005, pulled a semiautomatic handgun on the female toll worker and demanded she hand over money.

When she refused, Cooksey reached into the booth, grabbed money and shot her in the neck. Police apprehended him fleeing the toll plaza. The toll worker recovered from the shooting.

Cooksey pleaded guilty to robbery last month just before jury selection was to begin in his trial. As part of the deal, he admitted two prior strikes and faces 25 years to life in prison.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...197DVP.DTL&o=3

rapnroc · 08-13-2009, 11:05 AM

this is soo sad...

scrape6o8 · 08-13-2009, 01:24 PM

rest in peace to my step father Ersie Chuck Everette i will always luv u.

hansumjerk · 10-18-2009, 10:57 PM

i was on da parkway finna head to san rafeal when dat shit happened...got stuck right in da middle of da traffic...seen hella fed's hop on da freeway in navy blue chevy malibu's...tried to get on 1 of em, dat bitch was sexy...lol