Toby Keith's Driver Wounded by Gunshot

CARROLLTON, Texas (AP) _ A bus driver for country singer Toby Keith was wounded by a gunshot fired into the performer's bus on a freeway outside Dallas. <br/><br/>Keith was not aboard the bus and investigators

Tuesday, October 5th 2004, 9:54 am

By: News On 6

CARROLLTON, Texas (AP) _ A bus driver for country singer Toby Keith was wounded by a gunshot fired into the performer's bus on a freeway outside Dallas.

Keith was not aboard the bus and investigators do not believe he or his band were targets, said Carrollton police Sgt. David Sponhour. Aside from a mounting bracket for the rear license plate, the bus was not marked as Keith's band bus, he said.

The driver, George Hampton, 55, was listed in good condition Tuesday at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Investigators said the bullet's trajectory suggested it may have been fired from a passing vehicle. Police have no suspects, Sponhour said.

Hampton told police he was on Interstate 34E late Monday, hauling Keith's band equipment from Florida to Oklahoma, when he heard what sounded like a shot outside the bus, Sponhour said.

The slug tore through the side of the bus and hit Hampton's left leg, Sponhour said.

Hampton stopped the bus safely. Three other people on the bus were uninjured.