BUFFALO, N.Y. — A school bus driver in Buffalo has lost his job after comments he made to students on the bus were caught on camera.
Both the Buffalo Public School and First Student, who employed the driver, confirm that the driver seen in the video has been fired after threatening to shoot the students.
The incident took place last Thursday. A concerned parent shared the video on Facebook.
The video is a little more than 45 seconds long and starts out with the driver telling a student that he has a badge and a gun.
We don't know what prompted the conversation, but the driver had a student move to the front of the bus where he tells the student that he dares someone to shoot him.
First Student issued this statement in regards to the incident:
At First Student, we take our responsibility to provide a safe environment for students on our school buses very seriously. Certainly, we understand the concern this incident has caused. We, too, are extremely disturbed by what we saw in the video. This sort of behavior will not be tolerated. The driver is no longer employed by First Student.
The Buffalo School District also put out a statement Monday:
Buffalo Public Schools has zero-tolerance for gun-related violence, and the safety of all students and staff is of the utmost importance. As the bus driver was an employee of First Student, Buffalo Public Schools worked directly with them to immediately remove him from his position to protect our students. Buffalo Public Schools also notified the Buffalo Police so appropriate action could be taken. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.
The district says they have notified the Buffalo Police Department. 2 On Your Side has reached out multiple times to a Buffalo Police spokesperson, but we have not received a response.