16-year-old shot, killed in year’s first homicide on MARTA property
A 16-year-old was fatally shot Monday at the Oakland City bus loop, marking the first homicide on MARTA property this year.
According to arrest warrants obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, police responded just after 6 p.m. to a report of shots fired at the MARTA station’s bus area in southwest Atlanta.
Officers found Xavier Wright, who would have turned 17 next week, suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite lifesaving efforts, the teen was pronounced dead at the scene. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teen Tuesday.
Video footage from a bus appeared to show Wright and another person looking out of the window toward a group of three people before Wright, wearing a mask, and another masked individual got off the bus, warrants say.
The court records state when the two masked riders stepped off the bus and approached the other group an “immediate exchange of gunfire ensued,” which Wright “appeared to initiate.” One person from the other group returned fire, and Wright collapsed in the parking lot.
MARTA police said two suspects, both of whom are charged with murder, have been arrested, and they’re still searching for two more suspects linked to the shooting.
One of the suspects was taken into custody near the scene and denied any knowledge of the two masked individuals who got off the bus and said he had a firearm but did not shoot it. Video footage appears to show that suspect “holding a firearm but not firing it,” according to the court document.
A second suspect was taken into custody after police said they received a call from a pastor who told a detective “one of his members wished to turn himself in at the advisement of his parent.”
Before Monday’s shooting, the last person killed on transit agency property was Leroy Ramos, a bus driver who was shot in January 2025 during a dispute over the $2.50 fare.
Reports of serious crimes, including homicide, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary, dropped by 26% last year compared with 2024, according to MARTA police statistics.
There were five homicides each year in 2023 and 2024. MARTA police Chief Scott Kreher has said his department has taken a more “hands-on” approach, making more arrests, issuing more suspensions and increasing police presence at stations.
The department also opened a crime center last year from which officers monitor surveillance video in real time. Serious crimes dropped again in January of this year, the most recent month for which data is available, with the most serious crimes reported 1.4 times for every 1 million passenger trips.
About the Authors
Sara Gregory covers transportation for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and writes about how residents navigate one of the most congested metros in the country. A Charlotte native, she joined the AJC in 2023 after working at newspapers in South Carolina and Virginia.
