A school bus driver was arrested on Friday in Norfolk after students found his loaded gun on a bus, authorities said.
David A. Tripp, 65, of Norfolk was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, improper storage of a firearm near a minor, intimidation of a witness and carrying a firearm on a campus.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, authorities said, Norfolk Police were contacted by a student’s parent, who told them that a gun was found on a school bus by King Philip Middle School students after dismissal as kids were getting on the bus that afternoon.
Norfolk Police began an investigation and notified officials at the Norfolk Public Schools and King Philip Regional School District, which both use the private busing service, Holmes Bus Co. of Norfolk.
Through interviews with witnesses and surveillance footage from the bus, police said, officers determined that the .45-caliber handgun with seven rounds in it was found on a seat in the back of the bus as students were getting on board.
The bus driver heard a commotion among children in the back of the bus and allegedly took the gun and put it in his pocket, authorities said. The driver then continued on his route and did not report the incident to police or school officials, police said. There were about a dozen middle school students on the bus at the time, they said.
Police said they interviewed the driver at his home on Friday, determined that the gun was his and placed him under arrest.
“I want to commend our officers for their sense of urgency in conducting a thorough investigation, leading to this arrest,” Norfolk Police Chief Charles Stone said. “We are extremely fortunate that no children were injured as a result of the suspect’s reckless and dangerous conduct.”
Investigators determined that the gun fell out of Tripp’s pocket while he was cleaning up the bus after dropping off Norfolk elementary school students. No elementary school students came in contact with or saw the gun, police said.
“This is a deeply disturbing situation in which an employee entrusted with the care and transportation of school children allegedly put them in mortal danger by not only carrying a firearm on a school bus but being so reckless as to lose it and allow a child to find it,” King Philip Regional School District Superintendent Paul Zinni said. “This was an incredibly dangerous situation that could have turned tragic in the blink of an eye.”
Tripp has a license to carry a firearm, which immediately will be suspended, Stone said. Police also seized 15 rifles, four handguns and an undetermined amount of ammunition from his home, the chief said.
Both school districts require that all bus drivers undergo a criminal background check prior to being hired by the bus company.
“I was horrified to learn about this incident, and it is unconscionable that a person would bring a firearm onto a school bus full of children, let alone someone whose care of those children had been entrusted to them,” Norfolk Public Schools Superintendent Ingrid Allardi said. “I am furious, as our parents and community members should be, and we will be reviewing our contract with the bus company and at the very least demanding the driver’s termination.”
Tripp has been banned from transporting children of both districts, authorities said. The bus company could not be reached for comment on Friday.
