CHICAGO () — A Chicago Public Schools employee faces charges after a 12-year-old student found a gun on a school bus and fired it through a window Monday in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, police said.
The incident occurred around 2:25 p.m. in the 3500 block of South Wallace Street. No one was injured.
Steven Dixon Jr., 22, was charged with carrying a firearm at a school, child endangerment and reckless conduct.
According to police, Dixon left a bag unattended on the school bus. A gun was inside the bag.
Police said the 12-year-old student discovered the weapon and fired it Monday.
The bullet pierced a window on the bus parked outside Minnie Miñoso Academy.
After the shot was fired, police said Dixon took the gun and bag before running from the area.
In a letter to families, the principal of Minnie Miñoso Academy wrote:
“Today at dismissal, there was a shot fired from inside a school bus transporting students from our school. The shot hit a window on the bus. Thankfully, no one was injured, and all students are safe.”
By Tuesday morning, parents were seeking answers and calling for stronger safety measures to protect students on school buses.
“Just a piece of mind to know that our kids are safer instead of just strangers being able to show up with firearms on buses I mean it’s absurd,” parent Gabriel Cartagena said.
Police said Dixon took the gun and bag after the shot was fired and then fled.
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