US: Teen Opens Fire In Georgia School, Students Among 4 Killed, 9 Injured

At least four people were killed after a teenager opened fire at a high school in Georgia.

Students and parents walk off campus at Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (Photo: AP)

In another incident of shooting in the United States, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at a Georgia high school, killing two fellow students and two teachers and leaving nine others injured. The incident took place at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. 

The suspect was identified as Colt Gray. He was taken into custody shortly after the incident. He had been interviewed by law enforcement last year over online threats about committing a school shooting, according to investigators.

The deceased were identified as two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, at Apalachee High School, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said in a news conference. He said that the suspect will be charged and tried as an adult.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said that at least nine other people—eight students and one teacher—were taken to hospitals with injuries. All were expected to survive. He also said that the gunman, armed with an "AR platform style weapon," or semiautomatic rifle, was quickly confronted by deputies assigned to the school and that the suspect immediately got on the ground and surrendered.

After his arrest, the suspect spoke to investigators. who believed he was acting alone, but they declined to say if they knew what motivated him. All nine of those hospitalized were expected to recover, Smith told reporters. "Pure evil did what happened today," Smith said.

Following the incident, students scrambled for shelter in their classrooms and went to the football stadium as officers thronged the campus and parents raced to ensure the safety of their children.

A student, Sophomore Kaylee Abner, was in geometry class when she heard the gunshots. She along with her classmates ducked behind their teacher’s desk, and then the teacher made an attempt to barricade the classroom door, Abner said. After students flocked the football stadium, she saw teachers who had taken off their shirts to help treat gunshot wounds.

(With agencies inputs)