In a tragic incident, a man, Kerry Bell, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter for the unprovoked attack on a 70-year-old nurse, Sandra Shells, at a downtown Los Angeles bus stop in January 2022. Bell, who had a prior strike for assault in Texas, was immediately sentenced to 12 years in state prison. The attack occurred while Shells was waiting for a bus to take her to her job at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.
The assault took place at a bus stop near Union Station, and Shells, after being attacked, fell and hit her head. She succumbed to her injuries three days later at the same hospital where she had worked for 38 years. The incident shocked the community as it was an unprovoked attack on a senior citizen who was on her way to work.
In exchange for his plea of no contest to voluntary manslaughter, a murder charge was dropped. The prosecution highlighted the severity of the attack, and Bell, having admitted to a prior strike for assault, faced a significant sentence. The tragedy underscores the vulnerability of individuals in public spaces and the need for increased awareness and measures to ensure public safety.