On Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, in Midland City, Ala., a man identified as Jimmy Lee Dykes boarded a school bus, shot and killed the driver, and fled the scene with a 6-year-old boy.
According to www.cbsnews.com, an unidentified child who was on the bus told authorities that Dykes told the driver that he “needed a kid because of the law coming after him.” Dykes originally demanded two children, but the other children on the bus managed to escape. Only the 6-year-old boy was left. The other children got off the bus and went to a neighbor’s house, according to the witness.
Dale County, Ala., Sheriff Wally Olsen told WBMA-TV that Dykes shot the bus driver, Charles Poland, Jr., when Poland refused to let the child leave the bus. Poland had been a driver for the county since 2009.
CBS News at www.cbsnews.com states that Dykes and the boy are believed to be in an underground bunker on a rural property. Police, SWAT teams and negotiators have continued to monitor the situation through the night. WTVY-TV reports that police are communicating with the suspect through a pipe into the bunker. An unspecified medication was delivered for the boy during the night, but he is reportedly in good condition, according to Olson.
Dykes was scheduled to appear in court today, Jan. 30, 2013, for a trial related to charges of menacing, according to www.abcnews.com.
Comments