Slain Seattle bus driver, ATU member, remembered with procession service

SEATTLE - A solemn procession through downtown Seattle of some 70 buses Dec. 8 recognized the loss of Mark McLaughlin, the Metro bus driver shot and killed in the dramatic Nov. 27 crash of his bus off the Aurora Bridge.

Thousands of citizens and dignitaries attended a memorial for the fallen Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) member at the Key Arena, where the procession concluded. "We are a family," said Barry Samet, ATU Local 587 president. "When we are on the job we are truly brothers and sisters."

McLaughlin and 69-year-old passenger Herman Liebelt were killed when passenger Silas Cool shot the 44-year-old driver twice, causing the bus to careen through a metal railing, plunging more than 40 feet to the roof of an apartment building, then to the ground. McLaughlin died at the scene and Cool took his own life. Thirty-two other passengers suffered various injuries.

Some 5,000 people, far more than ATU 587 event organizers anticipated, attended the memorial, where the 20-year driver was remembered as a "hero whose memory leaves me with a smile," said Metro north base chief Mary Collins. "He was always ready with a joke or friendly gesture like candy canes for young passengers at Christmastime."

King County Executive Ron Sims reversed the solemn mood of the ceremony by urging the audience to "give a shout for Mark McLaughlin so he can hear it from heaven." The massive audience complied with a thunderous roar.

One regular Metro passenger in attendance, 75-year-old Mabel Sommers of Queen Anne Hill, summed up the sentiment that drew so many people to the memorial service:"Bus drivers are such a part of my life.I see them do so much for people and put up with so much from them. Look at them (nodding to a crowd of drivers in their Metro jackets), these are good people, We only hear about bad experiences with them. But these are people who are just doing a job, who have families, who help us."

Many drivers in attendance, though moved by the public show of support, took the opportunity to remind folks that they continue to face assaults, disrespect, and other dangers and abuses on the job.

A memorial fund has been set up by ATU Local 587 for McLaughlin's family. Contributions may be made to The Mark McLaughlin Memorial Fund c/o Metro Pacific Community Credit Union, P.O. Box 24385, Seattle, Wash. 98124.