SALADO, Texas — The investigation into the case of a Salado ISD bus driver accused of chasing and shooting at a group of children for ding-dong ditching his home has come to a close.
Debate over what really happened took over social media for several days, but the Bell County Sheriff's Department says no gun was ever fired.
Many people came to the bus driver's defense after he began taking heat on social media before the investigation was complete.
According to investigators, video that appeared to be a flash of light from a gun was actually an insect flying in front of the camera, and the sound they thought was a gunshot was the man's truck backing into a mailbox.
"There's nothing that says a child or a kid can't be a valuable witness or viable witness," Bell County Sheriff's Department Operations Lieutenant, Christopher Wilcox, said. "Children don't always have the interaction or the life experience to understand the difference between a backfiring vehicle and a gunshot."
It took four days for law enforcement to sort the case out, but the Bell County Sheriff's Department says they have one main goal in every investigation, and that is to get the truth and conduct accurate investigations, regardless of how long it might take.
As plenty of opinions were posted on social media throughout the investigation, Wilcox says their team can only rely on hard evidence.
"We take statements from both adults and children, and we give them both weight, and we conduct our investigation, just as if whatever they're telling us is true, and we're looking for ways to either prove or disprove whatever claims are made," Wilcox added.
Wilcox says while a prolonged investigation can be frustrating, it's part of his job to seek the truth.
"As a parent, I can understand your frustration," Wilcox said. "I can empathize with your frustration. As a police officer, I also understand the importance of the detailed investigation and ensuring that we're dotting our I's and crossing our T's and making sure at the end of the day, you know, if we have to take somebody's civil liberties away, and they have to go to jail, that we're doing what is actually the right thing at the end."
In regards to social media, Wilcox wants the community to know they can talk or come to law enforcement about any concern they have.
As far as the future of the bus driver who is on administrative leave, Salado ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Novotny says they have not had the chance to meet with him.
As the intense investigation comes full circle, Dr. Novotny has a message for all parents.
"It's just a good lesson to not jump to conclusions or base decisions on what you see on the internet or social media," Novotny said. "There's a lot of misinformation out there. Thankfully, we have a very quality law enforcement agency, and the sheriff's department did a very thorough investigation and got to the truth of this matter and, you know, I just encourage people in the future to trust that process and not jump to conclusions before a determination is made."
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