A gunman shot and killed a school bus driver in Midland City, Alabama Tuesday afternoon and escaped the scene with a 6-year-old passenger to an underground bunker, which has prompted a hostage situation that is still going on this morning.
A man boarded a stopped school bus in the town of Midland City on Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. and shot the driver when he refused to let the child off the bus, Dale County Sheriff Wally Olsen told WBMA-TV. The victim's identity has yet to be released.
According to a report from DothanEagle.com, the shooter has been identified as Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, who was arrested on December 22 for pulling a gun on a man and charged with menacing.
The shooting and hostage situation took place at the intersection of US 231 and Private Road 1539 in Dale County, and the suspect is holed up in a bunker with the 6-year-old hostage behind his residence on the road. He has told police that he will not hurt the child.
Nearby homes have been evacuated for safety precautions.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Dothan Police Dept., Dale Co. Sheriff's Office, the FBI and a SWAT team are still on the scene.
The Salvation Army is making sure the officers on the scene have enough food.
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