Country star's bus driver shot on I-35E
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 11:05 am
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA-TV
CARROLLTON, Texas — A bus driver employed by country singer Toby Keith was hit by gunfire overnight in Carrollton.
Keith's equipment bus was headed northbound in the center lane of Interstate 35E near the President George Bush Turnpike at 11:15 p.m. Monday when someone fired a single shot.
The small-caliber bullet entered the driver's side of the bus and hit George Hampton, 55, in the upper left thigh.
"Obviously, shot through a steel bus like this—this is really unusual," said Carrollton Police Department spokesman Sgt. David Sponhour. "It could have turned really ugly if the driver either passed out or lost control of the bus."
Hampton, of Midlothian, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for treatment. He was reported in good condition.
There were three other people asleep on the equipment bus with Hampton. No one else was hurt.
Toby Keith was not traveling with the unmarked equipment bus, which was en route to the singer's home base in Oklahoma City from West Palm Beach, Fla. Keith's next scheduled performance is in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday.
Carrollton police said it appears a small-caliber handgun was used in the shooting, but they do not believe this was a case of road rage. Investigators were looking for witnesses who can provide additional information about the incident.
Toby Keith won 4 awards at the 2004 Academy of Country Music awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist.
CARROLLTON, Texas — A bus driver employed by country singer Toby Keith was hit by gunfire overnight in Carrollton.
Keith's equipment bus was headed northbound in the center lane of Interstate 35E near the President George Bush Turnpike at 11:15 p.m. Monday when someone fired a single shot.
The small-caliber bullet entered the driver's side of the bus and hit George Hampton, 55, in the upper left thigh.
"Obviously, shot through a steel bus like this—this is really unusual," said Carrollton Police Department spokesman Sgt. David Sponhour. "It could have turned really ugly if the driver either passed out or lost control of the bus."
Hampton, of Midlothian, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for treatment. He was reported in good condition.
There were three other people asleep on the equipment bus with Hampton. No one else was hurt.
Toby Keith was not traveling with the unmarked equipment bus, which was en route to the singer's home base in Oklahoma City from West Palm Beach, Fla. Keith's next scheduled performance is in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday.
Carrollton police said it appears a small-caliber handgun was used in the shooting, but they do not believe this was a case of road rage. Investigators were looking for witnesses who can provide additional information about the incident.
Toby Keith won 4 awards at the 2004 Academy of Country Music awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist.
