Police identify woman they say opened fire on Gwinnett school bus with students on board

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police have arrested the woman they said opened fire on a school bus in Gwinnett County.

It happened along Highland Gate Circle early Monday morning.

The mother of one of four elementary school students who were on the bus said that she heard around a dozen gunshots around 7:15 a.m.

Her 5-year-old daughter said the driver yelled for the kids to duck down as she kept driving them to school, where she knew they would be safe. The driver sustained injuries to her hands from broken glass.

“Just to have the presence of mind, just to digest what’s going on at the time and two, to think of the kids and have the wherewithal to say the safest place around here is school, that’s fantastic,” the mom said.

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Police have said Celeste Michele Saunders has been charged with cruelty to children, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies and unauthorized discharge of a firearm near public street.

Police said the bus driver, Patricia Rodriguez, had only minor injuries because of the broken glass from the bus windshield.

Melissa Laramie, Chief Communications Officer with Gwinnett County Public Schools spoke on the incident on behalf of the school system.

“We are so grateful the GCPS staff and children on the bus arrived safely to school,” Laramie said.

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