Three Teens Charged During Investigation Of Gunshots Near School Bus

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

During last Tuesday’s afternoon bus route (Sept. 3), an incident of gunshots in the vicinity of a Dade County Schools bus led to an investigation by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and the Lookout Mountain Drug Task Force.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of three teenagers: a 16-year-old female (Possession of a Schedule 1, Possession of a Schedule 2, and Possession with the Intent to Distribute), 17-year-old Raymond Allen Conway (Aggravated Assault, Cruelty to Children, and Discharging a Firearm within 50 yards of a Roadway), and 18-year-old Charles Anthon Reed (Possession of a Schedule 1, Possession of a Schedule 2, and Possession with the Intent to Distribute).

Although the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, the bus driver did not report it to school leadership until Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 4) at which point the school system sent a school resource officer (SRO) to follow the bus in question during its Wednesday afternoon route.

The school system and the sheriff’s office began contacting witnesses and reviewing video footage from the bus, but it wasn’t until Thursday (Sept. 5) that enough details were attained to release a public statement. That afternoon, the school system published the following report:

“At approximately 1:40 PM on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, a report was made to the DCS Director of Transportation of possible gun shots fired from a subject standing by the road at a residence during the afternoon bus ride on Tuesday, 09/03/2024. Once the school district was made aware of this off-campus incident, the Dade County Sheriff’s Office was notified and an investigation was launched.

“On Thursday morning, September 5, 2024, school personnel and SROs began to gather witness statements from students that were on the bus. In addition, district level administrators and personnel from the Dade County Sheriff’s Office began viewing video footage from the school bus. After gathering witness statements and viewing bus video, the Dade County Sheriff’s Office immediately went to the residence of where the alleged incident occurred to continue their investigation. As a result of their investigation, it has been determined that the subject is a student enrolled in Dade County Schools, however, the subject does not attend classes on campus.

“In light of the incident that occurred yesterday at Apalachee High School, Dade County Schools wants to assure everyone that the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. We are immensely grateful for the ongoing collaboration between our district, local law enforcement, and community partners. It is through these strong partnerships that we can continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our students. We are #TeamDadeGa.”

The Sentinel spoke with Josh Ingle (DCS superintendent) who explained that the personnel matter of the bus driver’s day-late report has been handled. No parents or students had called the schools to report the incident, so the school system was unaware of it until Wednesday afternoon.

Ingle noted that all buses have 911 radios which drivers are instructed to use in emergency situations. The buses also have exterior cameras that do not capture audio and interior cameras.

In this incident, no visual evidence was captured, but the audio from the interior cameras captured what sounded like gunshots. Ingle reported that only one of the student witnesses from the bus was able to confirm that it was gunshots.

Based on witness statements, the shots have been determined not to have been aimed at the bus. Ingle explained that it seems that the shots were aimed in the air or across the road after the bus had passed by.

This information had not all been collected until Thursday morning, at which point the DCSO had enough evidence to launch a criminal investigation. Thursday evening, the sheriff’s office released the following detailed statement:

“On September 4th, Dade County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Superintendent of Dade County Schools that a bus driver reported seeing a male standing next to the roadway, and also hearing gunshots when the bus passed the male, while he was driving his route on Gass Rd. The bus driver was interviewed by a SRO, and the SROs identified the students on the bus, attempting to find additional witnesses to the incident.

“After contacting additional witnesses and gathering more info, a police report was made. Dade County Deputies/SROs identified the suspect, resulting in Dade County Investigators obtaining a search warrant for the suspect’s residence. The firearm in question was recovered, and three suspects were charged as a result.

“A 17-year-old male was charged with Aggravated Assault, Cruelty to Children, and Discharging a Firearm within 50 yards of a Roadway.

“While executing the search warrant, the Lookout Mountain Drug Task Force was called to the scene for additional assistance, which resulted in additional drug charges against two additional occupants who were inside the residence.

“An 18-year-old male and 16-year-old female were charged with Possession of a Schedule 1, Possession of a Schedule 2, and Possession with the Intent to Distribute.

“The investigation never provided evidence that the suspect shot toward the school bus, at the school bus, or at any of the students on board the bus. However, due to the timing of the gunshots and the close proximity of the gunshots to the roadway, several students on the bus were very scared and understandably afraid for their safety.

“The School System and Sheriff’s Office took this incident very seriously. Especially given the events that occurred in Winder, GA on the day prior. The safety and security of our students is our top priority!

“This investigation is ongoing, and more details will be released when appropriate. Not only do we have the responsibility of investigating incidents, but we also carry the responsibility of keeping the integrity of the case secure. We will never compromise the investigation, prosecution, or conviction of one of our cases by releasing information too early. However, we also believe in keeping the public as informed as we possibly can. It’s truly a delicate balance that we hope our community can understand. We would never not release information, simply because we don’t want to.

“Sheriff Ray Cross said, ‘I want to thank our SROs, Road Deputies, Investigators, our DA’s Office, and our School System Administrators for their assistance in quickly identifying the suspect, recovering the firearm, and making an arrest in less than 24 hours from when the Superintendent was notified. The safety of our students and community are one of my top priorities, and we will never tolerate this type of thing in Dade County!’”