Federal prosecutors say a daytime shootout that rattled a Charlotte school bus full of kids is now landing one of the accused gunmen squarely in the federal system.
Paris Lewis-Bynum, 21, entered a plea in federal court Friday in a case tied to the Dec. 16, 2024, exchange of gunfire that sent bullets into a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus carrying about 30 students. Prosecutors say Lewis-Bynum is linked to the shootout and faces parallel state charges, and court filings allege investigators recovered a rifle stolen from a North Carolina state trooper’s patrol vehicle that may have been used in the incident.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Lewis-Bynum entered a plea to a federal charge of possessing a firearm as a felon. The paper reports that his federal sentencing date has not been set and that related state-level proceedings remain pending.
How Authorities Say the Shooting Unfolded
Police say the gunfire erupted during a drug-related dispute on the 8800 block of E.W.T. Harris Boulevard near Albemarle Road on Dec. 16, 2024. Video from the scene shows rounds piercing a school bus window as students screamed and scrambled for cover…