UPDATE 11:13PM: MIDLAND CITY, Ala. - A suspect is still on the loose tonight after he shot and killed a school bus driver and took a 6-year-old off that bus.
It all happened shortly after 3:30 Tuesday afternoon in Midland City, just north of Dothan, Ala.
Dale County sheriff's officials say an unidentified man boarded a school bus, shot the driver several times then left the bus with a 6-year-old passenger.
Police say the incident unfolded after the bus driver refused the suspect's demand to let the child off the bus.
Authorities say the man took the child to an area behind a nearby church, and police attempted to negotiate with him.
Witnesses say there were children on the bus at the time of the shooting.
"I spoke to about 3 or 4 different students, a lot of them were already gone once I got here. One of them was a young lady and she told me when the young man entered the bus, the gentleman that done the shooting, he told most of them to get off the bus. Then he grabbed a 5-year old little boy from what we understand and shot the bus driver four times. And uh, what I understand kids was running down the road behind the church trying to get to safety," says resident Dale County resident Michael Senn.
The bus driver's identity has not been released.
Several school systems in the area will not be in class tomorrow.
UPDATE 7:10PM: Sheriff's officials in Dale County say a school bus driver who was shot aboard his bus in Midland City has died. The sheriff said an unidentified man boarded a school bus, shot a bus driver several times and left the bus with a 6-year-old passenger.
Police say the incident unfolded after the bus driver refused the suspect's demand to let the child off the bus. Authorities say the man took the child to an area behind a nearby church, and police are negotiating with him.
The bus driver's identity has not been released.
UPDATE 6:45PM: The Sheriff's Department is confirming that one adult male was shot and the suspect is not in custody. They would not confirm a child hostage situation. A man who spoke with several children who were onboard a school bus says the students told him they witnessed a man step on-board and shoot the driver before taking a young boy hostage.
UPDATE 6:15PM: The Ozark City School Superintendent's office is confirming that classes are canceled Wednesday.
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (WPMI) Our sister station in Montgomery, WSFA, is reporting that a school bus driver was shot and a child was taken from a bus.
WSFA is citing The Dothan Eagle, which is reporting that law enforcement were called to Destiny church on U.S. Highway 231 near Midland City late Tuesday afternoon.
We're working to get more information at this time.
