Several teenagers involved in a Jersey City bus shooting incident could face potential assault charges, police say.

Authorities say 48-year-old New Jersey transit bus driver Charles Fieros used an illegal handgun to shoot at a group of six teenagers who had attacked him Saturday night near Monticello and Jewett avenues.

The incident has opened a conversation on all fronts, with many bus riders taking Fieros’s side.

“Self-defense. Me, being a man, if I felt threatened, I’m coming to work with my gun too,” said rider Frank Evans.

Renae Reynolds, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, says this incident highlights a variety of issues such as bus driver training, safety and security.

“It may require NJ Transit to look back at their protocols and see what improvements need to be made in terms of driver safety,” she said. “This brings up a scenario where safety protocols may not be in place to respond to this type of action or incident.”

Due to questions surrounding Fieros’s past, New Jersey Transit says it is planning to find ways to strengthen what it says is an already comprehensive hiring process.

Officials say an extensive background check was done by an outside vendor on Fieros, which came back clear.