KANSAS CITY, KS — Police are investigating a Monday morning homicide near Carl Bruce Middle School after gunfire struck a school bus in Kansas City, Kansas. The bus was traveling near 18th and Quindaro around 7 a.m. when bullets hit one of its windows, according to authorities.
Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools said 10 students were on board at the time. The district said the students were high-school aged, and none of them were injured. Police said the victim in the shooting was a man who died at the scene.
Police say the deadly shooting happened before the bus was caught in the gunfire
Officers were sent to the area near 18th and Longwood at 6:39 a.m., where they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. He was pronounced dead where he was found, and investigators said the death marked the city’s 17th homicide of the year.
A hole could be seen in one of the bus windows after the shooting. Police said the bus was struck during the gunfire, but investigators believe the victim was the intended target, not the students or the vehicle carrying them to school.
Captain Joshua Messick said the bus was on its regular route when the shooting happened and was hit unintentionally as the gunfire erupted. Police have not announced a suspect in custody.
District keeps students home if families choose and offers counseling
Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools responded by giving families the option to keep students home Monday. The district also offered counseling at school for anyone who needed support after the morning shooting.
The incident raised immediate concerns because it happened near a middle school and involved a bus carrying students to class. District officials emphasized that none of the students on board were hurt, but the close call added another layer of worry for families and staff in the area.
Police and school officials have not said whether the bus line was altered after the shooting, but the district’s response focused on making sure students and parents had support for the rest of the day.
Residents and workers near Quindaro react to the violence
Shelley Coulter, executive director of Groundwork NRG, works near the scene at 1913 Quindaro and said people contacted her Monday morning to ask whether she was safe. She said that was how she first learned about the shooting.
Coulter said the fear reaches beyond the street where the gunfire happened because children were on the bus. She said the students were now dealing with trauma, and she questioned whether people in the community can feel safe around one another.
A family gathered at the victim’s home just down the street from the scene. Relatives did not want to speak on camera, but they were emotional and said they were upset the shooting happened so close to his home.
Police say homicides are down overall even after another death
Messick said the department’s homicide numbers remain lower this year than they were at the same point last year. He said police had recently been at a year-to-date low of 14 homicides earlier this month and credited community outreach as one factor helping reduce violence.
“Any time a homicide occurs, there’s a loss,” Messick said. “So it’s obviously unfortunate. We don’t want homicides to occur.”
Still, he said officers continue to push preventive efforts while also investigating Monday’s killing. Police have not said what led up to the shooting or released additional details about the man who died.
Search continues for answers after bus is struck on normal route
Investigators are still working to learn who fired the shots and why the exchange of gunfire took place so close to a school route. Police said the bus was simply passing through the area when it was hit, and they do not believe the children or the vehicle were the focus of the attack.
For families in the neighborhood, the episode underscored how quickly ordinary routines can be disrupted. A trip to school that should have been uneventful became part of a homicide investigation, leaving students, staff and nearby residents to process what happened as officers continue their work.
Police said no suspect was in custody as of Monday afternoon, and the investigation remains active.
