A suspect is in custody after a shooting inside Apalachee High School in Georgia. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, at least four people have died, and about nine sustained injuries as a result of the September 4 incident.
More Details About The Shooter & Victims
Earlier Wednesday, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a suspect was arrested but gave no additional details about the person’s identity. CNN was the first to report that the detainee was “of student age.”
In one of the latest case updates, authorities have confirmed that the suspected shooter is 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the high school. He is being charged with murder as an adult, per AP.
Furthermore, the victims of the school assault have been identified as teachers and two students. Nine others were transported for medical treatment from the Georgia high school grounds.
C”What you see behind us is an evil thing,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said during an initial press conference outside the school on Wednesday.
Here’s What Happened At Apalachee High School
Georgia’s Apalachee High School is located in Barrow County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. According to records from Georgia education officials, the school has about 1,900 students. It became Barrow County’s second-largest public high school when it opened in 2000 and is named after the Apalachee River in the county.
It’s only been a little over a month since the high schoolers returned from summer break. Shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and Fire/EMS personnel received dispatch orders for Apalachee.
After the shots rang out, two school resources officers approached the 14-year-old. He surrendered, and law enforcement took him into custody. Currently, police are still investigating how the Colt Gray obtained the weapon and got it into the school. However, officials have not identified the type of firearm Gray used.
According to the Associated Press, students sought shelter in the high school’s football stadium as local officers swarmed the campus.
How Officials Have Responded To The Georgia School Shooting
Helicopter video from WSB-TV showed dozens of law enforcement and emergency vehicles surrounding the impacted Georgia high school. According to AP, traffic going to the school was backed up for more than a mile as parents tried to get to their children.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has already addressed the school shooting in a statement.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state,” Gov. Kemp said. “We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) September 4, 2024
Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has called for additional patrols of Atlanta schools “for the rest of the day.” Dickens said the call is “out of an abundance of caution.”
The FBI’s Atlanta office has also responded to the shooting. Their statement said, “FBI Atlanta is aware of the current situation at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. Our agents are on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”
AP adds that President Biden’s Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, has advised him on the Georgia high school incident. In a statement cited by CNN, Biden spoke about school shootings not becoming a norm.
“What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” the president said.
The episode is just the latest among dozens of school shootings across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas. The killings in classrooms have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to active shooter drills in classrooms. But they have done little to move the needle on national gun laws.
AP reports that so far this year, before this Georgia high school, there had been 29 mass killings in the U.S.
This is a breaking story. Stay tuned for live updates.
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Associated Press staff Jeff Amy contributed to this report.
