Coatesville student charged in school bus shooting

A 17-year-old Coatesville high school student was arrested after a district school bus was struck by gunfire Thursday afternoon, according to the Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena Sarobe said at a press conference on Friday.

The shooting occurred at 2:30 p.m. Thursday when two bullets hit the grille and windshield of a school bus as the bus was dropping off high school students on the 300 block of Charles Street. Neither the bus driver nor the students on board were injured, said Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer, who said the students were being held two miles from the scene at the Westwood Fire Company until they could be reunited with their families.

” READ MORE: School bus hit by gunfire in Coatesville, football game canceled as a precaution, officials say

Jakai White-Marshall, a 17-year-old high school student from the Coatesville area, has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the shooting, said de Barrena-Sarobe, who said prosecutors are trying to try him as an adult. Bail has yet to be set and White-Marshall was being held at a local detention center.

White-Marshall was one of four people believed to have been involved in the crime, in which a total of eight shots were fired. Coatesville police are “actively investigating the identities of the other three” suspects, Laufer said. During Friday’s news conference, reporters were shown a photo that was reportedly taken just seconds after the shooting. It showed four people in black outfits and ski masks fleeing.

“This is not a school shooting. “It was a targeted event in which the actors targeted someone who was getting off the bus,” said de Barrena-Sarobe. “We believe there is a personal dispute between students at the school.”

De Barrena-Sarobe said he hoped Coatesville Senior and Intermediate High School students would be back in the classroom on Monday. The district called for a remote learning day for students at both schools on Friday after the shooting. A football game between Coatesville and Downington East scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday has been canceled as a “precautionary measure,” the Downingtown Area School District said.

Classes and activities continued as normal at Coastesville middle and elementary schools.

“We have spoken with the students who were on the bus to check on their well-being and will continue to remain in close contact with their families and provide comprehensive support services as needed,” Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Catherine Van Vooren wrote in a statement Letter Letter sent to district parents. “We will get through this together.”