Hundreds of people gathered at Congressional Cemetery Tuesday in Southeast D.C. to pay their respects to Robert Cunningham, a 64-year-old Metro mechanic who died trying to save lives during a shooting at the Potomac Avenue Metro station.
Cunningham was shot and killed on Feb. 1, as he tried to wrestle a gun away from a shooter. His friend Greg Bowen Jr. told NBC Washington that he was a “gentle giant,” adding, “We lost a shining star.”
Beth Caron, one of the mourners who went to the cemetery, said “We all wonder if we would do the same thing.”
“It’s just tragic and sad,” Caron said. “The idea that some ordinary person would say ‘I’m going to try to stop this and make a difference’ was so heartwarming and tragic, and I just felt like I had to be here for the family.”
Cunningham was laid to rest at the cemetery, which is just a few blocks from the Potomac Avenue station.
Among the crowd were friends, family members, Metro officials and many people from the area, such as Victor Romero and Mark Trainer, who simply wanted to extend gratitude for Cunningham’s brave actions.
“I wonder if I’d have had the courage to do the same thing,” Romero said.
“It’s the very definition of being a hero,” Trainer said. “It’s an amazing thing he did, and I’m certain he saved lives.”
According to police, Isaiah Trotman had a 9-mm handgun and opened fire three times in five minutes.
Trotman shot three people, including Cunningham, according to investigators. He is charged with first-degree murder while armed.
The other two victims who were shot are expected to recover.
One man told police that Trotman pulled out the gun, pointed it at him and said, “Look me in the face; I’m a prophet. You are going to die with me today,” according to court documents.
Video footage from inside the Metro station showed Cunningham approaching the shooter from behind with his right forearm over Trotman’s shoulder in an apparent chokehold.
Trotman is due back in court on Thursday.
