Convicted Felon Involved in Shootout that Struck School Bus Sentenced to Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Paris Alonzo Lewis-Bynum, 21, a previously convicted felon from Charlotte, was sentenced to nine years in prison today for illegally possessing a firearm and using a firearm to further drug trafficking activities, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

According to court records, Lewis-Bynum was convicted in 2023 for speeding to elude arrest. As a result of that conviction, he is not permitted to possess a firearm. Court records show that on December 2024, at approximately 3:50 p.m., a shootout occurred near the intersection of W.T. Harris Blvd. and Albemarle Rd. in Charlotte. A school bus full of students was struck multiple times by projectiles from the shooting. Investigators determined that Lewis-Bynum was involved in the shootout, and he was arrested on December 16, 2024. In addition to illegally possessing the firearm, law enforcement determined that Lewis-Bynum was involved in drug trafficking activities in the area.

"Lewis-Bynum is the type of repeat offender that my office prioritizes for federal prosecution," said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. "It is a miracle that none of the children on the school bus were seriously hurt or killed during the shooting. We will not stand idly by when people put our children in danger."

Lewis-Bynum is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.

In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for their work on this case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.