A 12-year-old student fired a gun from a school bus Monday afternoon after finding the weapon inside an unattended bag, sending a bullet into a bus window outside Minnie Miñoso Academy on Chicago’s South Side.
The incident happened shortly before 2:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of South Wallace Street as students were being dismissed from the Bridgeport-area school.
Chicago police said the boy found the unattended bag on the bus and took the firearm from it. He then fired one round, striking and shattering a window.
The school’s assistant principal said the student has disabilities and identified the adult who owned the bag as a bus aide.
After the shot was fired, the adult took possession of the firearm and the bag before leaving the area, police said. The man had not been taken into custody as of the latest available report.
Several students were on the bus at the time. No injuries were reported.
School placed under soft lockdown
Following the shooting, Minnie Miñoso Academy temporarily went into a soft lockdown while school officials and police responded.
Students were dismissed in groups as officials worked to make sure the situation was under control.
In a message to families, school officials said all students were safe and emphasized that the gun did not enter school grounds. Chicago Public Schools’ safety personnel and police were notified and are assisting with the investigation.
The shooting caused concern among parents waiting nearby for their children.
One parent said she initially heard what sounded like two pops and thought they might have been fireworks before realizing they were gunshots.
Another parent, Shonterrie Orr, said she was waiting for her children when they told her they had heard the shots.
Orr said her children were standing on the opposite side of the bus and did not initially understand what had happened.
“I don’t understand it,” she said, describing her reaction to learning that a gun had been on the bus.
She also said she briefly saw someone running from the area but did not know at the time what had prompted the person to flee.
Investigation remains underway
Chicago police detectives are continuing to investigate how the firearm came to be inside the unattended bag on the school bus and the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The latest reports did not indicate that anyone was injured or that the gunfire extended onto school property.
The incident occurred at Minnie Miñoso Academy, located at 3527 S. Wallace St. The school was formerly known as McClellan Elementary School and was renamed in 2023 in honor of longtime Chicago White Sox star Minnie Miñoso.
Authorities have not announced additional details about potential charges or the status of the adult who left the bag on the bus.
The investigation remains active.
