It's every parent's worst nightmare; their child has been kidnapped. The incident happened around 4 p.m. today in Dale County, Alabama. It's reported the Dale County Sheriff’s Department has established their command post at the intersection of 231 North and Private Road 1539.
A witness, Michael Creel was interviewed by WTVY said the bus driver was shot three times. It's reported that the bus driver died from his wounds.
Creel says the child the gunman kidnapped fainted and was grabbed up and carried off by the gunman. Creel also said the gunman was his neighbor Jimmy Lee Dykes who lived about 100-yards from him. Local law-enforcement officials have not identified the suspect.
Dykes, a 67-year-old Vietnam veteran boarded a school bus and demanded two children ages six and eight be released to him. It's said the bus driver refused and tried to take off in the bus and that's when Dykes shot the driver.
Dykes then grabbed the six-year old child and left. The attack is said to have happened in front of the Destiny Church on Highway 231 near Midland City. It is reported that Dykes is holding the six-year old hostage in an underground bunker near the Destiny Church on Highway 231.
The Dothan Eagle reports the following,
James Edward Davis, Jr., who lives near Dykes on Private Road 1539, said Dykes pulled a gun on him and his daughter on Dec. 10 after Dykes believed Davis had driven in Dykes' yard. Davis said he reported Dykes to the Dale County Sheriff's Department. Dykes was arrested Dec. 22 and charged with menacing.
There are reports that Dykes built the bunker in his backyard made from particle board, plywood and two-by-fours. This is where he's supposedly holding he six-year old child hostage. Davis was reported to have seen Dykes digging dirt at 2:30 in the morning, in his backyard.
This is a tragedy beyond comprehension, and the Dothan Christianity Examiner is asking all who read this to stand in agreement with him in the following prayer.
Father God we come to you in the mighty and merciful name of Jesus and ask that you would be in this situation. We pray that you would bring comfort to the family of the bus driver, and that you would cause the man holding the child as a hostage to be overtaken with guilt and consumed with the wrong he has done.
We ask you to keep the child safe and ask that this gunman will surrender to the police. If he does not we pray that you would keep the child safe, and that you help the police take this person down if necessary. We thank you father for bringing a peaceful resolution to this.
Lord we beg you, we beseech you for mercy father; this is just a child, and they deserve to be returned to their parents safe and sound. We thank you father for hearing our cries, and we stand in agreement with those who are praying.
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