Co-worker wanted in killing of MTA bus driver; victim had restraining order against him
Fearing for her safety, Elaine Jackson went to court last week and requested a restraining order against a co-worker she said was stalking and harassing her.
She worried about seeing Leon Douglas Hill at the Maryland Transit Administration Bush Division facility near Carroll Park in Southwest Baltimore, where they both reported to work, court records show.
Four days after a Baltimore County District Court judge granted her request for a temporary peace order, Jackson was gunned down in the Bush Division parking lot Tuesday evening.
On Friday, Baltimore Police said an arrest warrant had been issued charging Hill, 53, with first-degree murder in the killing, which detectives believe resulted from domestic violence.
Law enforcement were actively searching for him, officials said late Friday afternoon.
An MTA employee, Hill reported to the Washington Boulevard bus facility and worked the evening shift, Jackson wrote in court documents.
An agency spokesperson declined to answer questions Friday afternoon about Hill’s employment, including whether he was placed on leave or otherwise disciplined.
The shooting unfolded around 5 p.m. Tuesday in the facility’s parking lot and Jackson, 40, died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Baltimore Police.
In her written statement requesting the restraining order, Jackson said she rekindled a friendship with Hill in March or April. She said they had “some differences in the past and he basically was asking for my forgiveness.”
But in July, she started distancing herself again.
“I noticed that he wanted more and he knew I was in a relationship,” she wrote.
Hill started harassing her several weeks ago, relentlessly calling and texting, demanding money and threatening her, according to her statement. She checked a box on the application indicating she was being stalked.
“He also stated that if he can’t have me, no one will,” she said.
In response to a question about whether he had weapons, Jackson wrote: “None that I know of.”
Jackson was granted a temporary peace order and directed to appear in court Friday morning to argue for its extension, court records show. The order was dismissed when she failed to appear at the hearing — three days after her death.
A Baltimore County Police officer tried to serve Hill with the peace order last week, but court records show the attempt was unsuccessful. It was unclear whether additional attempts were made. According to the order, he was prohibited from contacting Jackson and ordered to stay away from her home.
In a statement following her death, MTA officials said Jackson had served as a bus driver in Baltimore for four years. They said counseling was available to her colleagues.
“She was a warm, caring individual and a valued member of the team,” the statement said.
Recent attempts to reach her family were unsuccessful.
At the Bush Division facility Friday afternoon, the gated parking lot was quiet. A bunch of white and gold balloons — including one shaped like a giant E — broke free from their tether and floated slowly toward the sky.
