Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that the shooting occurred outside of the parked Metro bus.
A veteran Los Angeles Metro bus operator who was brutally targeted by an ex-boyfriend and barely escaped with her life is now, understandably, in fear for it as her 45-year-old attacker has yet to be captured.
The Nov. 16 violence unfolded just before 7:30 a.m. after Metro bus operator Demetra Kimble took her break and parked the transit bus near a bus stop on Hollywood Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, police said.
At that time of the morning, there were no other passengers aboard the Metro bus.
Family members told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe that Kimble’s ex-boyfriend, whom she had broken ties with, showed up unannounced and opened fire as she frantically scrambled to find cover.
According to a Metro representative, the shooting occurred outside the bus.
Kimble suffered gunshot wounds to her jaw, her hand and buttocks in the surprise attack and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
The gunman, identified as Dorian Holt, fled the area after the shooting. Authorities said he was dressed in a black sweatshirt and dark pants and was wearing a black baseball cap with a white LA Dodgers logo.
Dorian Holt, 45, seen in photos released by LAPD. 
L.A. Metro officials and police on the scene of the shooting East Hollywood on Nov. 16, 2024. (KTLA) 
Dorian Holt, 45, seen in photos released by LAPD. 
Demetra Kimble, a L.A. Metro bus operator, seen in this undated photo. (viewer image) 
Demetra Kimble, a L.A. Metro bus operator, seen in this undated photo. (viewer image)
It’s unclear how long Kimble and Holt dated or if she had ever filed any domestic violence reports against her attacker, but her nephew, Marcus McKinney, explained why she left the relationship.
“I think for her things got to a point where they had been escalating, and it was at a point where she felt like she didn’t need to be in that situation,” he said. “There certainly was a history of violence.”
McKinney told KTLA that his aunt, who loves her job in public transportation, has received a groundswell of support from fellow Metro operators and managers, as well as from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, but that the top priority must be locating and arresting Holt.
“She had no clue this was coming, and tried to retreat,” McKinney said. “Unfortunately, he basically shot her point blank. We never want to see something like this happen.”
Kimble, who continues to recover, cannot currently talk due to her injuries and is only able to communicate by using pen and paper.
Anyone with any information about this investigation or with knowledge of Holt’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.
