‘Could have killed anybody.’ Neighbors horrified after gunman shoots into crowd of kids at CMS school bus stop

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Charlotte police are searching for the gunman who opened fire on a crowd of students at a school bus stop early Thursday morning.

It happened along West Arrowood Road. The students all went to Palisades High School in south Charlotte.

Incredibly, no one was hurt during the incident.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Sherman Earl, who has lived in the area for several years. “Why would someone do something like that?”

He’s at a loss hearing what happened just feet away from where he was standing.

“You’re at a loss for words; you don’t understand, you don’t understand, you know?” Earl went on to say.

What happened to a group of school kids waiting for the bus this morning stunned and rattled many in the area.

“It could have ricocheted. It could have hit a pole or somebody’s windshield. Could have killed anybody,” neighbor Michelle Dickey stated.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say a group of students waiting for the school bus early this morning were approached by someone wearing a black ski mask. Investigators say that the suspect pulled a gun and started firing at the crowd of kids from Palisades High School. That sent everyone scrambling for cover and trying to get out of the line of fire.

“A lot of crazy things happening in this world.”

Tyree White says he knows the area isn’t perfect, hearing about random stabbings and shootings not too far away, but he’s never heard of anything like this.

“There’s a part of you that says this is what happens, and there’s a part of you that wishes something like this wouldn’t happen,” White told WBTV’s Ron Lee.

Police say the gunman was targeting two of the students specifically, but we don’t know the relationship between the suspect and those students. Palisades High, when hearing about what happened, put out a statement saying in part:

“While this event did not take place on our campus, we encourage our students and families to remain vigilant to safety threats.”

Investigators haven’t made any arrests in the case yet but say there’s no danger to the public at this time. In fact, they put out a statement saying that because this was such an isolated and not random act, CMPD is not planning on increasing patrols at bus stops. But for some, like Sherman Earl, there are plenty more questions that need answers.

“How did this happen, you know? What caused it to happen? Especially on this side of town,” Earl said. “I mean, I’m just…I’m clueless.”

Investigators say if you were in the area at the time and saw anything that might help the case, you’re asked to call police.

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