ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A 13-year-old girl shot herself on a crowded school bus in St. Petersburg on Tuesday morning.
“Just a bunch of kids in the yard and the cop was in the bus and I could hear sirens coming,” said Ray Stull, who lives right on the corner of 49 St and 18 Ave in St. Petersburg right where that school bus came to a halt. He said he saw the moment the kids on the school bus started rushing off.
“Well, actually, my wife came in and said, ‘The cops are at the school bus. So, that’s when I took a look and saw everything that was going on,” said Stull.
St. Petersburg Police said it all started when the school bus was taking about 20 students to Tyrone Middle School when all of a sudden, the bus driver heard a pop. “And the kids started saying someone was shot. So, she immediately saw an officer on the next block, flagged him down. And what we know happened is that there was a 13-year-old girl who brought a gun onto the school bus and ended up shooting herself somehow,” said Yolanda Fernandez with St. Petersburg Police.
Now, St. Pete Police are filled with questions and are actively investigating this incident. “And our detectives are out here trying to learn how she got the gun, where it came from, and what exactly led up to the gunshot,” explained Fernandez.
St. Pete Police said Tyrone Middle School is providing counseling for kids who were on that bus.
Meanwhile, an overstated message from St. Pete Police to gun owners: “It’s very important that you lock your car and secure your guns. That means don’t leave your gun in your car even if it’s locked and if you do have a gun in your home, then be a responsible gun owner and make sure that it is not accessible to kids and that it’s in a secure place,” said Fernandez.
St. Pete Police confirmed that the 13-year-old girl was rushed to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and is stable.
None of the other students who were on that bus were injured. “Oh, it makes me feel good. I don’t want to see anybody die, especially a kid,” said Stull.
Pinellas County Schools released the following statement:
The well-being and academic success of every student remain the focus of Pinellas County Schools and Tyrone Middle School. The district’s Student Services counselors, social workers, and school-based team members were on-site at the school today to assist students and staff. They will continue to be on-site to provide support as long as needed. The safety of students and staff is the highest priority. We encourage anyone with a safety concern to contact our school or report it through the Say Something anonymous reporting app.
As the incident remains an active investigation, please contact the St. Petersburg Police Department with any questions.
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