School bus struck by gunfire in Coatesville: DA

COATESVILLE, Pa. - A Coatesville Area School District bus was struck by gunfire in Coatesville Thursday, the Chester County District Attorney says. 

The incident occurred just after dismissal at 2:30 p.m.

Officials say no one was injured in the incident. 

One bullet hole went into the school bus windshield.

FOX 29’s Steve Keley spoke with a bus driver and parents after the incident. 

Many of the shots fired went into the front of the bus next to the grill. 

Despite a bullet coming just past her head, the bus driver somehow kept a cool head, colleagues say. 

She then drove the bus and her students to safety. 

"I'm glad that she's safe and the kids are safe and yeah glad she went with her instincts and got out of there and hit them to safety," said Carmen Lemus, Coatesville school bus driver. 

Detectives were soon on scene marking fired bullet shell casings on the corner of Hope and Madison right in front a church and a nearby playground. 

Miraculously, no one aboard the bus or outside it was hurt.

FOX 29 obtained surveillance video of three male suspects a source close to the investigation confirmed are suspects in the incident. 

The three can be seen on the same street walking to the corner where the bus was fired upon just a couple of minutes before the shooting happened.

Parents who had children on the bus said they weren't sure whether to let them ride it home tomorrow unless they said it was getting a police escort. 

Coatesville City Police Department and the Chester County Detectives are investigating.

In a joint statement from City of Coatesville Police Department Chief Jack Lauffer and Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe, they said the following: 

"No child should be subjected to gunfire on a school bus. This is an active, high priority investigation"

Anyone with information, should call the Coatesville police at 610-384-2300.  You can also leave anonymous information on the free Tip411 phone app."