11 Alive News interviewed Joseph Grier at the scene where three people were shot in a downtown Atlanta food court on Tuesday, June 11.
Hours later, Grier would make national headlines when he killed a passenger on a city bus, then led police on a chase through 3 Georgia counties.
The drama unfolded when 11Alive reporter Molly Oak spoke with Grier across the street from the Peachtree Center Mall, where the food court shooting occurred.
Grier, 39, told Oak that he was in the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
He said he had been off his medication, which was evident by his pressured speech.
Grier also said he was on probation and was not allowed to carry a gun.
During the interview, Oak repeatedly interrupted Grier to reorient him to reality.
After Oak ended her interview with Grier, 11Alive made an editorial decision not to air the interview as part of the food court shooting coverage.
In the past, other news organizations aired bizarre interviews with Black people in order to exploit them for ratings.
On Wednesday morning, 11Alive confirmed Grier was the same suspect who hijacked a Gwinnett County transit bus on Tuesday.
Grier boarded the city bus and got into a fight with a passenger.
Another passenger pulled out a gun and attempted to break up the fight. Grier took the gun away from the passenger and shot and killed him.
Then Grier pressed the gun to the bus driver’s head and ordered him to drive. The bus hit several vehicles during the police chase through three counties.
DeKalb County police parked an armored vehicle in the roadway, forcing the bus to stop. A SWAT team swarmed the bus and arrested Grier.
He faces murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and hijacking among nearly a dozen other charges.
