Police release sketch of bus shooting suspect

Police have released a description and sketch of the man suspected of shooting at a crowded HISD school bus Tuesday afternoon. Thirty students from Westbury High School and Johnston Middle School were on the bus in southeast Houston when a shot shattered one of the vehicle's windows, injuring two 11-year-old students. Early news reports didn't give much detail about the appearance of the suspect, but now we have the following description:

An African-American man with a very dark complexion, average build, 6 foot 3 inches or taller, in his late teens or early 20s.

According to the Chronicle, the description comes courtesy of a 13-year-old girl who was on the bus. She noticed a man standing near a church just before the shot was fired; the girl looked away momentarily, and that was when the window shattered. Then she looked back and saw the man running, apparently carrying something in his hands. HISD Police Chief John Blackburn said the district hopes the gunfire was an isolated incident, but HISD is implementing additional bus safety measures just in case.