KCS engineer, conductor shot in Louisiana

DESOTO PARISH, La. — Two KCS workers, including UTU member Timothy Council, were wounded when a gunshot came through their locomotive window here Dec. 20, according to the Shreveport Times.

The engineer, Paul Griffin, 44, was inside the cab of his locomotive when a bullet struck him in the face. The bullet then struck the hand of conductor Council, a member of Local 781 in Shreveport, La.

Police told KSLA television news that the shot was fired by a man who had just purchased a gun and was checking his aim when the gun fired.

Griffin, said KSLA, was some 400 yards away when hit. Police said the shooter would be charged with illegal use of a firearm.

The Times reported Griffin’s wound as “non-life threatening,” and that he was in stable condition at a local hospital.

Council was treated and released.