Earlier this month, we reported that Lafayette Police arrested a man accused of pointing a gun at children on a school bus.
KATC Investigates made a public records request for the arrest affidavit for Shawn Cummins, 58, who was booked with seven counts aggravated assault with a firearm.
In it, police write that he and the bus, transporting students at L.J. Alleman Middle School, were both driving on Foreman Drive on the afternoon of November 8.
The bus tried to pass Cummins’ truck, but Cummins allegedly sped up to prevent the bus from completing the pass, the report states. The bus driver tried to complete the pass but wasn’t able to, and the children on the bus told police that the bus traveled on the “wrong side of the road” in attempt to complete it.
Once the bus reached West Congress, the driver was able to pass Cummins because the road has two lanes, the report states. As the bus passed Cummins’ truck, Cummins allegedly pulled out a black handgun and gestured like he was shooting it at the bus, the report states. The bus driver never saw that, but the children riding on the bus did, and they panicked, thinking they were going to get shot, the report states.
The video from the bus’ camera doesn’t show Cummins, but it does show the children panicking, the report states.
A concerned parent called police to report the incident, the report states. Police investigators, along with the Alleman resource officer, interviewed several children who were on the bus, the report states.
Police identified Cummins, found him at his home, and allegedly found a gun in his vehicle, the report states.
We checked with police, and they say the bus driver was issued a ticket for passing in a no-passing zone.
We spoke with school officials about this incident. They tell us the bus driver was on administrative leave while they investigated the incident, and he was disciplined. The details of that discipline were not released because that information is not public record under Louisiana law. The driver has completed the discipline and is back driving a bus, a spokesman said.
