Posted on 01/30/2013 9:29:49 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
(CNN) -- A gunman boarded a school bus in Alabama, took a 6-year-old boy hostage and killed the driver who tried to save him, police said Wednesday.
The incident occurred Tuesday and continued into Wednesday morning, with authorities still desperately trying to free the young child, who was being held by the gunman in an underground bunker.
"We will continue to work diligently through the night in an effort to bring closure to this incident as quickly as possible," the Dale County Sheriff's Department said late Tuesday.
Authorities identified the slain bus driver as 66-year-old Charles Albert Poland Jr.
Late in the evening Tuesday, the shooter had the child in some sort of underground bunker or storm shelter, and authorities were communicating with him through a PVC pipe, CNN affiliate WSFA reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
This is horrible! That poor child.........
Prayers for the little boy, the slain bus driver, and that this ends well.
Many prayers for that lil’ one. Prayers for his family, as well. They must be terrified.
Was the driver armed?
Of course, anyone sick enough to do this, would also likely be sick enough to set booby-traps, or may even have a dead-man-switch-activated device.
Just wondering out loud.
If he was he would be alive.
Another case where the police were powerless to protect an innocent child, and a public employee bus driver.
They tell us we should give up our guns, and trust the police to protect us. But every day, we see proof that the police cannot protect us.
Creel said he spoke with some of the students who were on the bus and was told that the suspect boarded the vehicle as it stopped to drop off some students. Creel said students told him the suspect was trying to take two children from the bus but only managed to leave with one. "He was only able to get a hold of one," Creel said the other riders told him, because the child fainted and was grabbed.
If he was working for the school district, he is probably not allowed to have weapons on the bus. I just finished school bus training to be a sub for the local school district. I wonder what I would do in a similar situation - and pray nothing remotely like it happens.
“killed the driver who tried to save him”
God bless the heroic driver and may the Lord watch over that poor child.
Why in tarnation would they do that?
~snip~
Dykes was scheduled to be in court today for a trial related to charges of menacing, according to court records obtained by WDHN.
I read that the little boy has autism. Depending on the severity, and knowing how they get upset when their routines ate disrupted, it could be another kind of chaos in the bunker.
I do find it ridiculous that this situation is still ongoing and there is no progress. Prayers for all involved.
I read that the little boy has autism. Depending on the severity, and knowing how they get upset when their routines ate disrupted, it could be another kind of chaos in the bunker.
I do find it ridiculous that this situation is still ongoing and there is no progress. Prayers for all involved.
Wonder how many hundreds of local, state and federal "authoritays" are there to grab this bad guy?
He's in a hole in the ground, so they might need 5-10 guys AT THE MOST. State po-lease & the Fibbies are there.
Teyh've got a helichopter, which is quite useful for getting a guy out of a hole in the ground. Not.
How come nobody ever demands to see the taxpayer tab for these fracking LEO block parties?
Sources tell Al.com the suspect, identified as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, is a Vietnam veteran looking to gain attention to “air his grievances.” The Southern Poverty Law Center said today that Dale County Sheriff’s Investigator Tim Byrd told SPLC’s “Hatewatch” that Dykes has “anti-America” views. They described him as a “survivalist” with ties to the antigovernment movement.
Negotiations with Dykes have been ongoing throughout the night via a PVC pipe leading into the bunker.
The ordeal began just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when authorities say Dykes boarded a school bus in Midland City and shot the driver several times. Dale County sheriff’s officials this morning confirmed the bus driver’s identity as 66-year-old Charles Albert Poland Jr., who has been a Dale County Board of Education bus driver since 2009.
It was not immediately clear what prompted Dykes to storm the bus, but his motives appear to be related to a menacing charge in December. That month, Dykes pointed a gun at his neighbor, James Edward Davis, who told the Dothan Eagle that Dykes accused him of driving on his yard. Dykes was scheduled to have a bench trial today on the charge, and an unidentified girl who Dykes released from the bus told reporters that Dykes was referring to his upcoming case.
The SPLC has a complete dossier on the gunman.
No surprise, huh?
Anesthesia is a tricky business -- ask Michael Jackson's doctor. It only works in the movies and comic books. In that Russian movie theater, for example, more than half of the people ended up dead, terrorists and victims alike.
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