LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville police were searching for a suspect who fatally shot a woman walking with her child near a bus stop where school children were gathered.
The shooting around 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday and was near several children, Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said. Officers received tips from witnesses that led to the questioning of a 15-year-old boy shortly after the shooting, but he was later released after it was deemed he was not the shooter, Humphrey said.
Humphrey called on the community to come forward with information about the suspect, who remained at large Thursday.
Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Brian Yearwood said the shooting was “an unspeakable act of violence … at a bus stop witnessed by innocent young children.”
“This is an outrage. It’s unacceptable. No one should be scared to stand at a bus stop,” Yearwood said.
Officials have not identified the woman. People who knew her told news outlets she was walking her child to the school bus stop.
The same neighborhood area near downtown Louisville was the scene of another morning shooting last week when a suspect fired a gun and fled, Louisville police said. School children were in the area for the first day of school and could hear the gunshots, police said in a media release.
Humphrey said Wednesday that police had monitored the bus stop after last week’s shooting, but were not there when Wednesday’s shooting occurred.
“Clearly I wish they’d have been there,” Humphrey said.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said he was thankful for the cooperation of people at the bus stop who provided information to police.
“That’s what we need to see more of in our city, this collaboration, working together, the police department and the community,” he said. “The police cannot make our city safe alone.”