No matter how bad it gets, it can always get worse, but there is always a sliver of sunshine through the darkness as a suspect in the slaying of a pregnant school bus driver has been charged with second-degree murder.
Thierry Kinshala Nkusu, 33, was held on $5 million bond in the stabbing of Maria Veronica Mbunga, 36, and her unborn child. The motive remains unknown, but authorities said that additional charges are pending. The incident went down like this: Mbunga died on the way to the hospital along with her baby, after police in Washington state found her with multiple stab wounds in an apartment building. Authorities also discovered Nkusu injured in the same apartment building. Paramedics rushed Nkusu to a hospital with what investigators reported as “superficial knife wounds that did not correlate with what he said occurred.” The investigation is ongoing.
It should be common sense to commit your full and undivided attention to the road. However, this good judgement is often ignored. So extreme measures have to be put in place. Case in point, Tennessee governor has signed into law a proposal to strengthen state laws banning the use of electronic devices by school bus drivers. The legislation comes after the 2014 school bus crash that claimed the lives of two students and a teacher’s aide. In the investigation following the crash, it became apparent current Tennessee law did not go far enough to prohibit distracted driving by those who transport children on school buses. Effective July 1, 2016, it will be illegal for a school bus driver to use any electronic device while the bus is moving with children onboard or while the bus is stopped to load or unload children. The law has exceptions for electronic devices used to communicate with central dispatch or for emergency purposes. Also, the law reclassifies the crime as a Class A misdemeanor and mandates a minimum 30-day jail sentence and $1,000 fine upon conviction. Additionally, anyone convicted under the new law will be prohibited permanently from operating a school bus in Tennessee.
Be mindful of your surroundings and follow all the rules of the road. The simplest mistake can be fatal, as a bicyclist who succumbed to his injuries found out after he was struck by a school bus. The 52-year-old man was riding when he failed to stop at an intersection and was hit by the school bus. The cyclist was taken to an area hospital where he later died. None of the 25 students aboard the school bus was injured. Authorities continue to investigate the accident.
In what authorities are labeling a “random act” that was prompted by a “medically related issue,” a woman has been accused of threatening a school bus driver with a shotgun. Elisha Shamae Colson, 31, approached the stopped bus and pointed the stolen shotgun at the driver. The driver was able to speed away since Colson never boarded the bus. Two children aboard at the time of the incident. Colson was charged with two counts each of assault by pointing a gun and second-degree kidnapping, and one count each of possessing a stolen firearm and going armed to the terror of the public. Bail was set at $124,000.
