‘We hid’: Man in ski mask fires shots at students waiting for school bus in southwest Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — A man in a ski mask fired shots at students at a school bus stop on Thursday morning.

The shots were fired at two students who were at a bus stop while waiting to be taken to Palisade High School around 7 a.m. on West Arrowwood Road and South Tryon Street.

A dispute over a girl may have what led to the shots being fired, witnesses said.

Just after 2 p.m., the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department sent out a release confirming the shots were fired and the two students were not hit.

Police believe the shooting was targeted and there is no threat to the public.

Channel 9 reached out to Palisades High School and was given this message that was sent to families:

‘Good afternoon, Palisades High School families, this is Principal “O” reaching out to inform you of an incident that occurred this morning at one of our bus stops.

While students were waiting at the bus stop, an alarming event unfolded. A person wearing a ski mask approached the students and discharged a firearm, promoting immediate panic among the students. As a result, they dispersed and ran causing some to arrive late to school.

There were no injuries reported. Law enforcement was contacted, and an investigation is underway. While this event did not take place on our campus we encourage our students and families to remain vigilant to safety threats.

As always, the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. Thank you for your continued support of Palisades High School.’

Channel 9 education reporter, Jonathan Lowe, learned that there were a total of eight students at the stop when the shots were fired and none of them were on the bus.

One of the eight students told Lowe they ran right after shots were fired.

“I was at the bus stop and then we started running cause somebody was shooting inside the apartment, and then we were running over there to that apartment and then we hid from them,” a student said.

Police patrolled the bus stop while students were being dropped off on Thursday afternoon.

Police have still not released a suspect description and no arrests have been made.

No injuries were reported.

This is a developing story; check back at wsoctv.com for updates.

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