ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A middle school student from Tyrone Middle School shot herself on a school bus, St. Petersburg Police Department said.
According to officers, a middle school student suffered a gunshot on the bus at 18th Avenue North and 49th Street North on Tuesday morning.
“There was a pop on the school bus and someone started yelling. Someone was shot. 4 so the school bus driver drove about a block saw police officer and flagged them down,” said Yolanda Fernandez with St. Petersburg Police.
The girl was in possession of the gun, and no other students were involved or hurt, the St. Petersburg Police Department stated. However, there were 20 other students on the bus at the time.
“We don’t know if it was accidental or what the circumstances were,” said Fernandez.
The student was transported to All Children’s Hospital and is in stable condition.
St. Petersburg Police Department said the 13-year-old girl brought the gun on the bus. They are working to find out how she got the gun.
“There’s so many things that went wrong in this scenario here, you know, a young girl like that shouldn’t have been able to get a gun, shouldn’t be able to carry a gun onto a school bus and certainly there’s a concern for the safety of the other children,” said Fernandez.
Dozens of parents were picking up their children from the school after the incident.
“My son is a bus rider so so my first thought was oh my god what if it was his bus? And then the school called back saying it wasn’t his bus but still,” said Parent Theresa Tomlinson.
Tomlinson said the district owes parents answers.
“How does a that’s 13 years old even get a gun in their possession and on a school bus? What are they going to do about it? Where does is it stop? And what procedures are going to be taken for my students safety,” Tomlinson said.
A spokesperson with Pinellas Schools emailed News Channel 8 a statement regarding the incident:
“The well-being and academic success of every student remain the focus of Pinellas County Schools and Tyrone Middle School. The district’s Student Services counselors, social workers, and school-based team members were on-site at the school today to assist students and staff. They will continue to be on-site to provide support as long as needed. The safety of students and staff is the highest priority. We encourage anyone with a safety concern to contact our school or report it through the Say Something anonymous reporting app. “
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