JCPS bus driver honored one week after caught in gunfire

A Jefferson City school bus driver behind the wheel of the bus that was shot last week was recognized at Monday night’s school board meeting.

Members gave an official thank you and standing ovation to Tiesha “Ty” Donner, the driver of bus #28.

Donner recounted the day saying, “In a school bus in motion, gunshots coming at us, I think I did the only thing I can do to keep them safe until we left the scene and got out of that situation.”

Craig Hawkins, Royce Kemp and Jermaine Gray are all charged in connection to the shooting.

The school bus was full of students when it was hit by four gunshots on Wednesday, April 6. It happened in the 500 block of East Elm Street.

Police say Donner quickly left the scene and headed to Family Dollar on Madison Street while giving information to 911 operators.

There were 21 students on board at the time, none of them were hurt.