ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A suspect is now behind bars in Sunday's shooting death of an unarmed MetroLink security guard.
The victim, 30-year-old James Cook of Sullivan, Mo. was a husband, father of two young children and former Marine.
"It's devastating and all of us our doing our best to manage through a very difficult day," said Bi-State President CEO Taulby Roach.
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Roach says the victim was among more than 100 private security guards working along the light rail line – without guns.
"Legally, due to the federal compact, I cannot have any employees under Bi-State who have deadly weapons," Roach said.
The unarmed guards are allowed to carry non-lethal weapons, including tasers.
The killing took place Sunday morning on the Delmar Station platform, allegedly after the guard had told the suspect earlier in the day that he cannot sleep on the train. Police say Nathaniel Maurice Smith, 36, was arrested Monday.
The light rail line is patrolled by a supplemental force of local police and sheriff's deputies who do carry firearms.
St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts says wrong that Metrolink is relying so heavily on unarmed guards.
"We're throwing these guys to the wolves when you have them working those kind of situations, and they have to deal with the public," Betts said, "It's really not fair for them to be exposed like that without some greater degree of protection."
Betts says the answer is more armed deputies and more armed police patrolling the trains.
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"I think between the Sheriff's Department and St. Louis Police Department we can make Metrolink a whole lot safer, but you've gotta have people that are armed," Betts said.
Bi-State's Roach says he has requested more police to start riding the trains.
Friends of the victim have started a GoFundMe page to help the family of James Cook.
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