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Stray bullet passed through SEPTA bus passenger, hit inhaler

Passenger on SEPTA bus hit by stray bullet in Frankford
Passenger on SEPTA bus hit by stray bullet in Frankford 00:38

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A man is home from the hospital after he was struck by a stray bullet while riding a SEPTA bus Tuesday.

Quinzel Kane, 35, was aboard a Route 56 bus when a bullet broke through a bus window, hitting his arm before getting stopped by his inhaler.

"You ever hear the saying, 'you see your life flash before your eyes?'" Kane said. "I seen it this morning."

Police say Kane was one of 8 passengers on the bus. The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. on Torresdale Avenue near Church Street in the city's Frankford section. Kane was taken to a local hospital, where he was stabilized.

Kane told CBS Philadelphia he started his job at Waste Management a month ago and he sits in the same seat every day on the bus. He's back home now with his three young boys and grateful to be alive.

"One of the things that was constantly going through my mind was, 'can this bullet really kill me?'" Kane said.

A bullet hole was visible on the side of the bus. 

"When the bullet went through my arm, it came out and it hit the inhaler and pretty much shattered the inhaler in my pocket," Kane said, "and I do believe that inhaler saved my life."

The bus driver told police he heard gunshots on the 4000 block of Torresdale Avenue.

No one else, including the driver, was hurt.

"What was the reason of this bus being shot at and why innocent people with work uniforms on going to work?," Kane said. "It's sad."

SEPTA and the Philadelphia Police Department are reviewing surveillance video to see if they can identify the shooter and where the shots came from.

"This was a horrific incident," SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch wrote in a statement to CBS3. "Our thoughts are with the victim as he recovers from the gunshot wound. We will continue working closely with PPD to identify the person responsible."

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