A kindergarten student at a Claiborne County school was killed Monday afternoon when hit by a school bus.

Six-year-old Ryan Shala was struck by the bus that had just dropped him off at his grandmother’s house, said Claiborne County Coroner J.W. Mallett.

“It looks like he got off the bus and lost his shoe and when he went back to get it the bus struck him,” Mallett said. “The driver never saw the child come back to get his shoe.”

Ryan, an A.W. Watson Elementary student, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“This is a horrible, horrible tragedy for all of us,” said Donald Reeves of the Claiborne County School District.

Reeves said the child was let off the bus at 3:30 p.m. at Orange and Fair streets.

He said the accident was still under investigation by the school district.

“We are still trying to be sure we know exactly what happened,” Reeves said.