Statement from Mayor Saul Martinez regarding the September 24 death of a
Pasco School District bus driver at Longfellow Elementary:
I, along with the entire Pasco community, am in deep shock over the senseless death of a bus driver at Longfellow Elementary on Friday afternoon while transporting students. Tragedies such as Friday's death are difficult to comprehend. My thoughts are with everyone that has been touched by this death, especially the family of the driver and the students who were impacted. It is one thing to say children are our most precious resource but Friday's incident made it true in a very frightening way.
The Pasco Police Department will continue to investigate this tragedy and will be releasing more information as appropriate. I know that there is a team of the Pasco School counselors and other staff members, as well as our Police Department personnel, attending to any needs of those involved. I want to thank the Pasco Police and all school district staff for their response and efforts to keep our community and kids safe.
I also want to offer my support to the members of the Pasco School District during this difficult time and will work with my City Council members as we learn more about what happened and try to find solutions so we can continue to make Pasco safe.