A school bus carrying students with special needs was struck by gunfire in the Bronx on Friday, March 21. Reportedly, three bullets impacted the bus, with one of them smashing through a window, causing the students to duck for cover. Fortunately, no one was injured.
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According to law enforcement, and reported by the New York Post, the school buys was carrying eight students between the ages of 5 and 9. The incident took place around 2:20 p.m. near East 165th Street and Trinity Avenue in the Forest Houses neighborhood.
Reportedly, a total of six bullets were fired at the time. One of the bullets impacted a bus window, while two others struck the bus's side. Thankfully, no one inside the bus was injured as the bus through the gunfire and pulled over a mile away from where it was originally struck, as per abc7.
One of the bus driver's coworkers, Jose Polanco, spoke with abc7. He revealed that the driver kept driving the school bus to keep the children safe, making him a hero. "He was scared about those kids because all those kids in the shootout," Polanco said.
Investigation Continues
One man also spoke with the outlet after he himself spoke with the school bus attendant.
"The attendant says she was on the bus and two groups were shooting at each other, so she pushed two kids down on the floor and she got on top of the kids," the man told the outlet. "And she said bullets we're flying through the bus."
According to the Daily Mail, police have reported that at least four suspects were involved in the shooting. They were all dressed in black. As per abc7's report, the incident could be gang-related, with two distinct groups having exchanged gunfire at the time. Reportedly, it is believed that the school bus was not the intended target. Instead, it was caught in the fire of a separate altercation.
A school near the scene was placed on lockdown following the incident. The suspects, after firing the bullets, fled the scene on foot through Trinity Avenue. No arrests have been made at the moment.
