As dawn approached Wednesday, dozens of schoolchildren arrived at their bus stops near Fort Myers Middle School to find crime-scene tape, emergency crews and investigators cleaning up remnants of a homicide.
Hours earlier, Colbert Bernard Luster, 23, had been shot and killed near the intersection of Central and Moreno avenues, where children usually catch the bus.
The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating and hadn't identified any suspects as of Wednesday night.
Police received the call at 3:34 a.m. and found Luster dead on the sidewalk. The 911 caller said the gunman fled on bicycle, according to a report.
Freddie Luster, Colbert's father, said he believes he knows who shot his son and believes the shooting stemmed from a fight between his son and the individual more than a year ago.
The elder Luster didn't say who he suspects, but he said police know and are investigating.
Police spokeswoman Maureen Buice said the shooting does not appear to be random.
Freddie Luster said the individual had a feud with his son and had threatened to kill him.
"It's just terrible," he said. "That's my first son. I just don't know what to do at this point in time, because I wasn't prepared for this."
Colbert Luster had three children, a boy and two girls ages 1 to 3, according to his cousin, Whitney Bronson.
Bronson said Luster had left her aunt's house on Morado Street just before he was killed.
"He was like my twin," she said. "He was like another part of me, and now he is gone, so I don't know what to do."
Jim Saintelus, who lives nearby on the corner of Central and Braman avenues said he heard two gunshots and wondered why someone would be out at such a late hour.
Buice said several bus routes picking up children for a half dozen schools had to be rerouted because of the investigation, causing some buses to be late. Also, several of Luster's relatives arrived at the crime scene distraught while there were children in the area.
It's not clear whether the children at the bus stops witnessed the homicide scene clean-up, according to school district spokesman Joe Donzelli.
Donzelli said counseling would be provided to children if necessary, but no requests had been made as of Wednesday afternoon.
The homicide is the 15th reported by Fort Myers police this year