Man arrested in fatal shooting on Broward bus has prior murder conviction

WEST PARK, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale man accused of shooting a fellow Broward County Transit bus passenger dead after an argument is now behind bars.

Mario Alphonso Williams, 51, faces a charge of premeditated murder in the Sunday shooting death of Joseph Jackson, 42, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Records show Williams had a prior murder conviction.

Investigators say there was a “brief verbal altercation” on the bus Sunday afternoon and that Williams showed Jackson he had a gun and threatened to kill him.

Deputies say that when the bus stopped and Jackson went to exit, Williams opened fire, shooting Jackson multiple times in the back.

Williams then left the bus and fired additional rounds into the Jackson before running away from the scene, investigators said.

A witness allegedly saw it happen and followed the shooter off the bus, watching him throw away evidence, including a handgun and a bible. Mario Williams’ name was written on one of the pages of the bible, authorities say, helping lead to the arrest.

A 911 call came in shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of Southwest 35th Street and South State Road 7 in West Park.

When deputies arrived, they found Jackson, of Miami Gardens, on the sidewalk with several gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Family members say Jackson was bipolar and schizophrenic, and that he talked to himself frequently. They’re wondering if that set off the altercation on the bus, and wondering why it had to lead to violence.

Authorities are still trying to figure out how things escalated so quickly.

After his arrest, Williams faced a judge Tuesday and is being held without bond in the Broward Main Jail.