A school bus driver in North Texas was taken into custody Thursday after allegedly shooting his neighbor in broad daylight — a jarring incident that sent a man to the hospital and triggered security lockdowns at multiple schools across the district.
Shenkoru Sleshi Meketa, 64, a bus driver for Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the midday shooting near the intersection of Wilshire and Heritage Avenues in Grapevine, Texas. The victim — Meketa’s neighbor — was transported to a local hospital with injuries. His current condition has not been publicly disclosed.
What Happened on Wilshire Avenue
Officers were called to the 3300 block of Wilshire Avenue around 1 p.m. on Thursday, according to authorities. What they found when they arrived was a neighborhood in shock and a gunshot victim in need of emergency care. Meketa was taken into custody at the scene without further incident, as reported by local outlets covering the arrest.
One witness who lives nearby described watching the whole thing unfold in real time — the kind of scene you don’t expect on a quiet residential street on a Thursday afternoon. “I have a friend on the street, so when I saw the police cars I immediately texted her saying, ‘What’s going on on your street?'” the witness recounted. “I saw the takedown, the gentleman arrested. I saw him walk out of his home with his hands up and hit the deck.”
Just a routine afternoon in the neighborhood. Until it wasn’t.
Schools Placed on Secure Status
The ripple effects moved fast. Because Meketa was an active employee of the district, multiple GCISD campuses were placed under secure status as a precautionary measure while police processed the scene and confirmed the situation was contained. That kind of protocol — locking down schools when an employee is involved in a violent incident — is standard procedure, but it’s still unsettling for parents and staff when it happens.
CBS News Texas noted that the victim was hospitalized following the shooting, though specific details about his injuries remained limited as of Thursday evening. The district has not publicly commented on Meketa’s employment status in the wake of the arrest.
A Neighbor, A Gun, A Charge
What sparked the confrontation between Meketa and his neighbor isn’t yet clear. Investigators haven’t publicly outlined a motive, and it’s not known whether the two men had a prior history of disputes. That said, the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is serious — in Texas, it carries the weight of a first- or second-degree felony depending on circumstances.
For a man whose job it was to safely transport children to and from school every single day, the arrest is striking. It’s the kind of detail that makes you pause. A 64-year-old bus driver, trusted with the safety of kids, now facing allegations that he shot the man living next door.
CBS News also confirmed that Meketa’s role with GCISD was as a school bus driver — a position that, by nature, places enormous responsibility and trust at its center.
What Comes Next
Meketa was booked on the aggravated assault charge, and the investigation remains ongoing. Grapevine police have not announced whether additional charges are expected. The victim’s family has not made any public statement.
Still, the questions linger — about what happened between these two men, what led to a gun being drawn on a residential street in the middle of the afternoon, and what it means for a school district now left sorting through the aftermath of an employee’s arrest. Those answers may come with time. Or they may come out in court.
For now, a neighborhood is shaken, a man is in the hospital, and somewhere in Grapevine, a school bus sits without its driver.
