Three masked assailants brazenly charged onto a Maryland school bus, targeting the last remaining 14-year-old student in what’s being described as an “attempted murder.”
The bus was making its afternoon dropoffs from Prince George’s County Alternative Middle School on Monday when the three attackers, believed to be teens, rushed on to confront the student — one brandishing a gun and pulling the trigger, according to ABC 7.
“They pulled the trigger three times, but for some reason, by the grace of God, the gun didn’t go off and bullets flew out of the gun,” said Martin Diggs, head of the bus drivers’ union.
An onboard video system captured the moment one of the alleged masked juveniles made the attempt to shoot the middle schooler in the head point-blank.
“This was an attempted murder, plain and simple. Call it what it is,” Diggs told the outlet.
The alleged teen hit squad entered the bus after it stopped to let off a female student.
Once on board, the suspected juvenile with the gun pulled the trigger three times while aiming at the 14-year-old’s head, but it misfired — leading the three to physically beat the student before fleeing.
Police found three live rounds on the bus floor, according to the outlet.
Charoscar Coleman, the associate superintendent of Prince George’s County public schools, urged students, families, faculty and staff to report anything they know about what led to this coordinated, targeted hit.
“We are outraged as a district. Horrified that this incident did occur,” Coleman said.
Diggs, the head of the drivers’ union, is calling for more security on buses in the wake of the attack.
Diggs said that following the ruthless, unsuccessful hit, the driver and aide on the bus were left shaken, believing they could have been killed along with the targeted student if the gun had not misfired.
“They’re terrified. The one driver doesn’t even want to come back to work. They are terrified. They don’t even want to come out of the house,” Diggs said.
The driver and aide were not psychically injured during the attack, according to ABC.
The motive for the assault and attempted killing is under investigation.
The Prince George’s County Police Department is actively seeking any information about the attackers.
The school will not be releasing the video of the incident, the outlet confirmed.
The extent of the 14-year-old targeted student’s injuries is also unknown.
“Our priority remains providing a safe and orderly environment for our students. That is during school and also to and from school,” said Coleman.
