The suspect, a 14-year-old student at the school, and his father were questioned by law enforcement last year regarding “anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting,” according to FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest.
The gun used in Wednesday’s shooting was an AR-platform weapon, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation director. A law enforcement official told CNN earlier it was an AR-15-style rifle.
The adults killed were both math teachers, and Aspinwall was also an assistant football coach, according to the school’s website.
Nine other people — eight students and one teacher — were wounded and hospitalized, all of whom are expected to survive.
Suspected shooter
The suspected gunman has been identified as Colt Gray.
Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult.
Gray was questioned by law enforcement last year regarding “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time,” according to FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest.
Law enforcement officials arrive to give a news conference outside of Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.
Christian Monterrosa/AFP/Getty Images
Timeline of the shooting
Student Lyela Sayarath said the suspected shooter left the classroom at the beginning of their Algebra 1 class around 9:45 a.m. When he returned near the end of the class, he knocked to get back in. Another student went to open the door, but Lyela said that student noticed the gun and didn’t open the door. She said the shooter went to the classroom next door and opened fire.
Law enforcement arrived shortly after those calls, in addition to two school resources officers assigned to Apalachee High.
A resource officer confronted the shooter, who immediately surrendered to the deputy and was taken into custody, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters.
When the shooting happened, all schools in the district were placed in lockdown, and police were sent out of an abundance of caution to all district high schools.
The FBI and the ATF were later on the scene working with local and state officials, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
The investigation
There were no reports of secondary incidents or scenes, law enforcement sources told CNN.
The gun used in Wednesday’s shooting was an AR-platform weapon, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation director. A law enforcement official told CNN earlier it was an AR-15-style rifle.
Apalachee High School had received a phone threat earlier in the morning warning that there would be shootings at five schools and that Apalachee would be the first, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN.
GBI Director Chris Hosey said there’s no evidence of other schools being targeted, but investigators are pursuing “any leads of any potential associates of the shooter that was involved in this incident.” At this point, there’s no evidence that any additional shooter was involved, and no evidence of a list of schools being targeted, Hosey said.
Schools in the county will be closed for the week while the investigation plays out.
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What we know about the 4 people killed in the Georgia school shooting
From CNN staff
(Left to right) Richard Aspinwall, Christina Irimie, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo were all victims in the Apalachee High School shooting on September 4.
Apalachee High School/Family Photo/GoFundMe
Four people were killed in a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning.
They have been identified as:
Mason Schermerhorn, a 14-year-old student
Christian Angulo, a 14-year-old student
Richard Aspinwall, a teacher
Christina Irimie, a teacher
The school’s website shows the two adults were both math teachers, and Aspinwall was also an assistant football coach.
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Water, sports drinks and granola bars: How neighbors offered help after Georgia school shooting
From CNN’s Michelle Krupa in Winder
When they didn’t know what else to do, they set up a table with Goldfish crackers and two kinds of blue Gatorade.
Chris Comfort had heard the sirens rushing after 10 a.m. local time toward Apalachee High School and the middle school and preschool just beside it. Then, the news started to trickle out – on text chains, local news, CNN – about gunshots at the high school, kids in lockdown. Helicopters soon swirled overhead.
By noon, ordinary cars and trucks and SUVs had started lining up on Haymon Morris Road, the one main artery to and from the campus. But they moved at a crawl, brake lights bright red.
Some turned onto Comfort’s side street, then parked two cars deep. Others, unwilling to face the gridlock, started passing by on foot – trudging a mile, often more, under a beating sun in hopes of confirming their worst fear wasn’t real.
By midafternoon, neighbors had “been bringing waters and snacks for hours.”
They had water, sports drinks, granola bars, applesauce packs, cheese and peanut butter crackers, gummies and cold cubed watermelon.
They worked in shifts to hand it out mostly to the walkers but also to drivers who crept by on the road.
One neighbor, only identified as Chris, was with her 15-year-old daughter, Geaux, a homeschooled 10th grader who hangs out with lots of kids from the neighborhood, sports and church who go to Apalachee High.
Some of those kids walked with their parents back past the snack table.
“It’s afternoon, and they haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Chris said of many.
“There were some kids who hadn’t eaten since last night because they didn’t have time for breakfast this morning. They were on their way to school,” Geaux said.
“It’s hot,” the teenager added. “And it’s scary.”
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Hospitalized victims are expected to survive, sheriff says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
All of the hospitalized victims of today’s shooting are expected to survive and are “going to recover well,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Wednesday night at a news conference.
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Authorities still investigating how suspect got the weapon into school, official says
From CNN's Nouran Salahieh
Authorities still are investigating how the suspect brought into the school the “AR-platform style weapon” that was used in the shooting, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said in a news conference Wednesday night.
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Suspect will be booked tonight, GBI director says
From CNN's Amir Vera
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said Colt Gray, 14, the student accused in the mass shooting at Apalachee High School, will be booked in jail tonight.
Hosey said he was not sure when Colt would make his first court appearance, but said it would be “in a reasonable amount of time.”
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GBI director calls school faculty, shooting victims and law enforcement personnel "heroes"
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, highlighted those who he referred to as “heroes” of the tragic day at Apalachee High School, where four people were killed Wednesday.
Hosey called law enforcement personnel and the shooting victims heroes as well.
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GBI director identifies 4 victims
From CNN's Amir Vera
Chris Hosey speaks during a press conference on September 4.
CNN
Chris Hosey, Georgia Bureau of Investigation director, identified the four people killed in Wednesday’s mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
The victims were identified as:
Mason Schermerhorn, 14, student
Christian Angulo, 14, student
Richard Aspinwall, teacher
Christina Irimie, teacher
Aspinwall and Irimie were math teachers at Apalachee, according to the school’s website, which also lists Aspinwall as the defensive coordinator of the school’s football team.
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Georgia governor thanks officials for response to shooting
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to a reporter in the CNN Spin Room in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/File
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp thanked first responders and other officials who responded to the scene after four people were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.
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GBI says no evidence of other schools being targeted
From CNN's Nouran Salahieh
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said there’s no evidence of other schools being targeted, but investigators are pursuing “any leads of any potential associates of the shooter that was involved in this incident.”
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Teen who missed school Wednesday shares how she found out her friend died in shooting
From CNN's Ryan Young, Jade Gordon and Mike Reff
A teen who missed school at Apalachee High School Wednesday found out her friend died through a group chat, she told CNN’s Ryan Young.
Kathrine Maldonado overslept Wednesday and missed school, she said. After she woke up later that morning, her friend texted her saying the school was in a lockdown.
Kathrine’s friend said she was OK and then started texting group chats, where they found out that a friend was killed and at least two more were injured.
Kathrine said her friend that died in the shooting was known as a class clown and described him as a “sweet person.”
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Law enforcement questioned the suspect last year about "threats to commit a school shooting"
From CNN’s Devon Sayers
Law enforcement and first responders respond to the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.
Christian Monterrosa/AFP/Getty Images
The 14-year-old student suspected of killing two students and two teachers at the Apalachee High School was questioned by law enforcement last year regarding “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time,” according to a joint statement from FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
The online threats included photographs of guns, according to the statement.
The suspect and his father were then interviewed by the county sheriff’s office.
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When gunfire exploded at a school in his town, one youth pastor's mind turned to mercy
From CNN's Michelle Krupa in Winder, Georgia
The evening’s focus was supposed to be greed versus generosity.
On Wednesday nights at Winder First Baptist Church — just like on Wednesday nights at other Baptist, United Methodist, Episcopal and Christian churches all across America — the faithful gather for Bible study and youth group and to break bread and just be together.
But on this Wednesday night in Winder, Georgia, the staff at Winder First Baptist Church had to pivot and reframe the message to one perhaps more simple but also more direct: “Instead of hate,” the youth pastor said, “we’re going to love.”
It hadn’t been 10 hours since two students and two teachers were killed and nine others hospitalized after a shooter opened fire at Apalachee High School, just 8 miles from the church.
The youth pastor, Mitch Norman, goes into the office later on Wednesdays — because of the evening’s obligations. He’d been at Bethlehem Christian Academy, where his wife is a teacher when he saw all the squad cars race toward Apalachee High.
Since then, “it’s just not stopped,” he said. “Everywhere you go that’s what everybody is thinking about.”
So as the parking lot filled up Wednesday night, Norman got ready for a prayer service. Instead of the regular schedule where kids are separate from the grown-ups, they’d all be together tonight.
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Weapon used in the Georgia school shooting was an AR-15 style rifle, law enforcement official says
From CNN's Mark Morales
The weapon used in the mass shooting at Apalachee High School was an AR-15 style rifle, a law enforcement official told CNN.
The official did not provide any information on how investigators believe the suspect obtained the weapon or any other details on the weapon and ammunition used.
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Apalachee student was praying while hearing "people begging not to get shot"
From CNN’s Zenebou Sylla
Not long after Dr. Anetra Pattman said goodbye to her 14-year-old daughter Macey Right as she headed for school, she received a text: “Mom, I’m scared. I hear gunshots. Please come get me.”
Pattman — a teacher at an alternative school in Barrow County, about 5 miles from Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia — immediately showed the messages to her own school principal.
Pattman, an educator for about 22 years, had practiced active shooter drills for about 10 years.
“I knew she couldn’t call me, I knew that I couldn’t get her, I knew all of those things, and so I simply just tried to assure her that she was ok, that her teachers would make sure she was ok,” Pattman said.
Meanwhile Macey and a group of girls held hands together to pray. Moments later, they were disrupted by banging and yelling, according to Macey.
“I heard gunshots outside my classroom and people screaming, people begging not to get shot, and then people sitting beside me just shaking and crying,” Macey said.
Schools in the county will be closed for the rest of the week while an investigation into the incident plays out, according to school district officials. Macey said she is worried about returning to school.
CNN’s Taylor Galgano contributed reporting.
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Georgia authorities schedule another news conference for tonight with updates on the shooting
From CNN's Isabel Rosales
A news conference with updates on the Apalachee High School shooting will be held at 9 p.m. ET, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a post on X.
The GBI didn’t indicate who would be taking part in the news conference.
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Watch Apalachee High School students describe the deadly shooting
From CNN's Abby Washer
Apalachee High School students explain to CNN what happened when shots rang out this morning in Georgia, killing two teachers and two students and injuring several others.
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Student huddled with classmates during shooting as their teacher stood over them, student's mother says
From CNN's Alli Gordon
Shana McMillan, a teacher at a Head Start program in Gainesville, Georgia, heard her daughter’s school was under lockdown and ran out the door. She described her journey “as the longest ride … to get to my baby.”
Although she did not see the shooting, McMillan’s daughter heard the gunshots and saw blood on the floor when they were told to evacuate the school, her mother said. Her daughter’s teacher told them to get in the corner and stood over them to “protect them just in case the shooter came in the room,” McMillan said.
Her daughter was across from the classroom where one of the teachers was killed, McMillan said, and the students from across the hall came into her daughter’s classroom crying.
As her daughter huddled with her classmates, McMillan was receiving texts terrifying to any parent.
When they were finally reunited, McMillan said she just hugged her daughter real tight.
“This is really scary… As a mom and a teacher, I can only imagine,” she said.
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Apalachee High School students describe harrowing moments as shooting happened today
From CNN's Ryan Young
Jayden Finch speaks to CNN in an interview on September 4.
CNN
Apalachee High School students say they are still processing today’s tragedy, when a 14-year-old allegedly opened fire and killed four people.
Jayden said he was in a classroom near where the shooting happened. He said his class was having presentations when a lockdown notification appeared on a television in his classroom.
“It was just straight silence and then you just hear gunshots and everyone just runs to the corner,” Jayden said.
Zyrianna Finch recalled how her teacher had left her classroom to get papers from a printer in a different room and that another teacher was supervising the class.
She and her classmates were directed to go into a closet while “really loud shots” rang out, Zyrianna said.
Nicholas Criswell also described the noise of the gunshots. He said the sound was similar to a person “just banging on the door.”
Nicholas said his teachers were “a little bit panicked,” but got them into a corner and followed the procedures of a drill.
He recalled hearing “scuffling feet and things like that, and then shouting” before police evacuated students out of the building.
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Georgia lawmakers say they are praying for families after "horrific tragedy" at Winder high school
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Georgia lawmakers are reacting to the latest school shooting in the United States. A gunman opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, killing four people.
Georgia Democratic Rep. Lucy Mcbath said she is “praying for the students” and the community, according to a post on X.
Her colleague on Capitol Hill, Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins, also said he is praying for the victims and their families. He also extended his “gratitude to law enforcement for their swift action to secure the school and get the shooter in custody,” according to a post on X.
The resource officers confronted the shooter soon after the first reports of gunfire were reported and took the suspect into custody, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said today.
Georgia state Sen. Elena Parent, a Democrat, called for gun control measures in her own post on social media: “As we learn more about what happened, one thing is certain: lax gun laws fuel the horror of school shootings. We owe it to our kids to not have to live like this.”
Georgia’s Speaker of the House Jon Burns, a Republican, said as a “father and a grandfather, I am devastated by the horrific tragedy that took place today at Apalachee High School.”
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What we know so far about the shooting at Apalachee High School
From CNN staff
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith speaks to the media after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
Four people were killed and nine were hospitalized after a shooting at a Georgia high school on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The suspected gunman is in custody and was identified as a 14-year-old student of Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, a community about an hour outside of Atlanta.
Law enforcement are still investigating the shooting and motive behind it. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith warned that it could take “multiple days” to get answers.
Here’s what we know so far:
The suspected shooter and the victims:
Two students and two teachers were killed, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said.
The suspected shooter has been identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, Hosey said, and he will be charged with murder and will be tried as an adult. Investigators have spoken to the suspected shooter and have been in touch with his family, Smith said.
There is no known connection between the suspected shooter and the victims, according to Smith. But Hosey added that the investigation is ongoing.
Law enforcement arrived shortly after those first calls, Hosey said, in addition to two school resources officers who were assigned to Apalachee High.
The resource officers confronted the shooter who “immediately surrendered to these officers and he was taken into custody,” Hosey said.
One student, Lyela Sayarath, said the suspected shooter left the classroom at the beginning of their Algebra 1 class. When the suspect returned near the end of the class, he knocked to get back in. Another student went to open the door, but Lyela said they noticed the gun and didn’t open the door. She said the shooter went to the classroom next door and opened fire.
The response:
The FBI and the ATF were on the scene working with local and state officials, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
When the shooting happened, all schools in the district were placed in lockdown, and police were sent out of an abundance of caution to all district high schools. There were no reports of secondary incidents or scenes, law enforcement sources told CNN.
Apalachee High School received a phone threat earlier this morning warning that there would be shootings at five schools and that Apalachee would be the first, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN.
Schools in the county will be closed for the rest of the week while the investigation plays out, said Dallas LeDuff, the superintendent of the Barrow County school system.
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Watch as students are escorted out of the Apalachee High School after mass shooting
From CNN staff
Law enforcement officers escort students out of Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, following the mass shooting Wednesday that left two students and two teachers dead, according to authorities.
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Student says gunman tried to get into classroom but was denied by classmate. Gunfire was heard moments later
From CNN’s Taylor Galgano and Jaide Timm-Garcia
Lyela Sayarath, a junior at Apalachee High School, told CNN she was sitting next to suspected gunman Colt Gray moments before the deadly shooting occurred Wednesday.
She said Colt left the classroom at the beginning of their Algebra 1 class around 9:45 a.m. local time. Lyela thought Colt was going to the bathroom, but he didn’t take a pass, so she assumed he was skipping class, she said.
Toward the end of her Algebra class, Lyela said someone over the loudspeaker told her teacher to check her email.
Shortly after, Colt returned to the classroom outside of the shut door, which Lyela said locks automatically. She said a girl in the class went to open the door for him but then jumped backward after presumedly seeing that he had a gun.
Lyela said the students in her classroom hid behind desks, as they heard the gunshots, which she described as “just one after another.”
Lyela said her friend was in the classroom next to her, where the shooting was taking place.
“He was pretty shaken up,” she said of her friend. “He saw somebody get shot. He had blood on him. He was kinda limping. He looked horrified.”
Lyela described Colt as quiet and shy, and would only respond with single-word answers when they worked as a group on projects together.
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Today's Georgia shooting is at least the 45th school shooting in the US this year
From CNN’s Amy O’Kruk and Alex Leeds Matthews
Students and parents walk off campus at Apalachee High School on September 4, in Winder, Georgia.
Mike Stewart/AP
The Winder, Georgia, shooting was the 45th school shooting so far in 2024, according to a CNN analysis.
Of the at least 45 school shootings this year, 32 shootings have been reported on K-12 campuses and 13 on university and college campuses.
Last year there were 82 US school shootings, a record since at least 2008 when CNN’s analysis began. Of those in 2023, 52 shootings were reported on K-12 campuses and 30 on university and college campuses.
CNN defines school shootings as shootings that involve at least one person being shot, excluding the shooter. The shooting must also occur on school property, which includes, but is not limited to buildings, fields, lots, stadiums and buses.
Trump says "our hearts are with the victims" after Georgia school shooting that left at least 4 dead
From CNN's Kate Sullivan and Kit Maher
Former President Donald Trump speaks during the 2024 Joyful Warriors National Summit on August 30, in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday “our hearts are with the victims” after officials said four people were killed in the shooting inside Apalachee High School and nine others were transported to hospitals with injuries.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, posted his own message on X, calling the shooting an incident of “despicable violence just days into the new school year.”
“We are keeping the victims, their families, and the whole community of Winder, Georgia in our prayers this evening,” Vance said on X.
This post has been updated with JD Vance’s post on X.
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School resource officer engaged with shooter and took him into custody, sheriff says
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
The resource officer at Apalachee High School engaged with the shooter and took him into custody, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters.
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No known connection between suspected shooter and victims, sheriff says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
A police line is put up in front of Apalachee High School after a school shooting took place on September 4, in Winder, Georgia.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
Officials are not aware of any connection between the suspected shooter and the victims, the sheriff said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“None that I’m aware of,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said in response to a question from a reporter on whether there was a prior connection.
Law enforcement said previously the suspected shooter is a student at Apalachee High School.
Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said part of the investigation is “looking into every aspect of that individual, his connection here at the school.”
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Investigators have interviewed the student accused of killing 4 at high school, sheriff says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
Investigators have spoken to the 14-year-old student accused of killing four people on Wednesday at Apalachee High School, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.
He said officials have been in touch with the alleged shooter’s family as well, but did not provide details.
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Barrow County schools closed the rest of the week, superintendent says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Superintendent Dr. Dallas LeDuff speaks to the media after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
Schools in Barrow County will be closed for the rest of the week after a shooting at Apalachee High School killed four people, according to Dallas LeDuff, the county’s superintendent.
LeDuff said the schools will be closed while the district “cooperates fully with law enforcement.”
He also said grief counseling would be available.
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"Hate will not prevail in this county," sheriff says
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said that his “heart hurts” for the children and the community following the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.
Smith, who said he was born and raised in the county, noted that the incident “hits home for me”
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Officials identify shooter as a 14-year-old student
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
Officials on Wednesday identified the person who allegedly killed four people Wednesday as Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Colt Gray, 14, is a student at the high school and is in custody, Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said at a news conference Wednesday.
He will be charged with murder and will be tried as an adult, Hosey said.
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2 students and 2 teachers killed in shooting, GBI official says
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
Two students and two teachers were killed in the Apalachee High School shooting, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said on Wednesday.
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Suspected shooter "immediately surrendered" after being confronted by school resource officers, GBI says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey speaks to the media after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
fOfficials laid out the timeline of the shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.
Chris Hosey, the Georgia Bureau of Investigat’sion director, said the sheriff’s office received calls of an active shooter at the school at around 10:20 am.
Law enforcement arrived at the scene “within minutes,” Hosey said, in addition to two school resources officers who were assigned to Apalachee High.
The resource officers “immediately encountered the subject within just minutes of this report going out,” Hosey said.
“Once they encountered the subject, the subject immediately surrendered to these officers and he was taken into custody,” Hosey said.
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SOON: Officials expected to give update on Apalachee High School shooting
From CNN's Devon Sayers
Law enforcement officials will give an update on the shooting that killed four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office are expected to be there, according to a post on X.
The news conference is scheduled to start at 4:30 pm ET, the post said.
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The US has endured an average of 1.5 mass shootings every day so far this year, data shows
From CNN's Holly Yan
The US has suffered at least 385 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are shot.
That’s an average of more than 1.5 mass shootings every day so far this year.
The 385 mass shootings include Wednesday’s deadly rampage at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. At least four people were killed and at least nine people were hospitalized with injuries, according to authorities.
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Harris: It's "just outrageous" parents have to worry if their child will come home from school alive
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on the Apalachee school shooting on September 4.
Pool
Vice President Kamala Harris called the shooting that killed four people at a Georgia high school a “senseless tragedy.”
Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire on Wednesday, the Democratic presidential nominee said her heart is with the students and teachers of the school. She called for action to curb gun violence.
“We’ve got to stop it,” she said, adding that “it doesn’t have to be this way.”
She talked about how she traveled around to trade schools and colleges last year, meeting young Americans. She said she asked groups of students if they had to go through an active shooter drill while they were in school.
“Every time the auditorium was packed, and almost every hand went up,” she said.
Harris said that kids in school should not have to use up energy “being concerned about a shooter busting through the door of the classroom.”
“It does not have to be this way,” she reiterated.
Watch the moment:
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Apalachee High School received a phone call this morning that warned about shootings, officials say
From CNN’s John Miller and Mark Morales
The high school at the center of today’s mass shooting in Georgia received an earlier phone threat, multiple law enforcement officials tell CNN.
Law enforcement officials in Georgia say Apalachee High School received a phone call this morning warning that there would be shootings at five schools and that Apalachee would be the first.
It is not known who placed the call. Officials tell CNN they are investigating the call and where it originated.
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"You can hear gunshots from afar": Students describe shooting at Apalachee High School
From CNN’s Gustavo Valdes
Cars line the road as parents arrive to meet students after a shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, in Winder, Georgia.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
Some students who were in the building during the shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday described their experience to CNN.
Martinez added that when she got to a corner she witnessed some girls crying and that the teacher was shaking. “I was like, ‘No, it’s gonna be OK. ‘Because if you tell yourself, it’s gonna be OK, it’s gonna be OK.”
Eventually, she said that authorities came and took them out of the classroom and onto the field.
Another student, Alexandra Romero, said she could hear “the gunshots from afar.” As they got louder, the school announced it was on lockdown and she and her classmates remained in their room for about 10 minutes until they were evacuated by authorities.
Julie Sandoval said she heard five gunshots right next to her — a series of loud bangs, like heavy books falling several times in a row. She and some of her other classmates hid in the corner until police came into the room.
“I started shaking a lot and that’s when I started crying as well. I was trying to text a lot of my friends but unfortunately, everything was down,” Sandoval told CNN.
She said she was worried about her sister who also is a student at the school. Sandoval texted her parents to tell them she loved them.
CNN’s Elise Hammond contributed reporting to this post, which has been updated.
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"I love you": Senior at Apalachee High School texts his mom after gunshots ring out
From CNN's Sharif Paget
Erin Clark was at work Wednesday morning when she got a series of text messages from her son who was attending class at Apalachee High School.
Clark told CNN her son, who is a senior at the school, heard eight or nine gunshots before he closed his classroom door. He and another classmate moved chairs and tables to block the door.
The mother said she and other parents were not allowed to drive on the road to the high school, so they parked down another street and walked.
“Once we got to the school, they directed us to go to the football field and meet our kids,” Clark told CNN. She later found Ethan safe by the bleachers.
She told CNN she was “absolutely terrified” when she read her son’s messages and that she “kept praying he’d stay safe.” Clark said she was “in complete shock that this was actually happening.”
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Shooter believed to be 14 years old, law enforcement source says
From CNN’s Mark Morales
The shooter who opened fire inside Apalachee High School is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, a law enforcement source tells CNN.
The source said it is not yet known whether the teen attended that school.
Watch more here:
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Biden says we "cannot continue to accept this as normal" after Georgia high school shooting
From CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg
President Joe Biden hosts an event in the Eisenhower building in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
Annabelle Gordon/Sipa USA/AP/File
President Joe Biden is “mourning the deaths” of those who were killed in Wednesday’s school shooting at Apalachee High School and said that “we cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
At least four people were killed in a shooting, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Biden also used his statement to call on Congress to act and pass an assault weapons ban, as he has in the past.
“After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation,” the president added.
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4 people killed and 9 injured in high school shooting, Georgia Bureau of Investigation says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Nine people were hospitalized with injuries after a shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The agency also confirmed in a post on X that four people were killed and that one person is in custody. It added that “reports that the suspect has been ‘neutralized’ are inaccurate.”
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith previously said there were ”multiple injuries.”
Other law enforcement sources told CNN there could be up to 30 people who were injured, although it’s unclear how many of the injuries are from gunshot wounds.
Update: Four dead. An additional nine taken to various hospitals with injuries. Suspect in custody and alive. Reports that the suspect has been ‘neutralized’ are inaccurate.
Adult with gunshot wound and minor with unspecified injuries being treated at Athens hospital, source says
From CNN's Nick Valencia
That Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital in North Georgia has received two victims from the shooting at Apalachee High School, a source with knowledge of the situation who is not authorized to speak to the media tells CNN.
One victim is an adult with a gunshot wound to the stomach who is currently in surgery, the source said. The other is a minor with unspecified injuries.
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Harris briefed on school shooting in Georgia, White House says
From CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg and Aaron Pellish
Law enforcement and first responders control traffic after a shooting took place at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.
Christian Monterrosa/AFP/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris was briefed on the school shooting in Georgia before she departed Joint Base Andrews for New Hampshire on Wednesday.
“She will receive regular updates from her staff as additional information becomes available. The Biden-Harris administration will continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials,” a White House official said.
The vice president is expected to address the shooting at the top of her remarks in New Hampshire, which is expected to begin at 2:50 p.m. ET, a campaign official said.
Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacted to news of a shooting calling the incident “tragic” and said “our hearts are out there” to the victims of the shooting.
Walz told volunteers during a visit to a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Democratic field office that although “we don’t know any of the details on it yet,” the incident marks another school shooting episode that is “all too common,” according to a pool report.
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Parent of child in nearby school says she dropped everything when she heard about shooting
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Parents of students who attend Apalachee High School and nearby schools in the area are waiting to be told what happens next after many rushed to the site of the shooting to make sure their children were safe, a CNN correspondent on the ground said.
One parent told CNN’s Isabel Rosales that she was at work when she got a text that there was an active shooting at the high school.
She said her child was at the elementary school next door. All schools in the district were placed on lockdown when the incident happened.
The parent told CNN that she dropped everything and drove to the area, where she had to park her car down the street and walk to make sure her child was OK.
Rosales reports that there is one street that has schools on either side of the road. Many parents are parked along that road, waiting to hear more information from officials. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said during a news conference earlier that authorities are now in the process of reunifying parents and students.
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FBI and ATF are on scene in Georgia to assist local authorities, attorney general says
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks briefly about a school shooting in Georgia on Wednesday, September 4, in Washington, DC.
Pool
Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed the Apalachee High School shooting during a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force on Wednesday and said that the Justice Department stands ready to provide resources to the Winder, Georgia, community following the deadly shooting.
The attorney general said he is “devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.”
“The Justice Department stands ready to provide any resources or support that the Winder community needs in the days ahead,” he added.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also reiterated that agents were on the scene of the shooting “and supporting law enforcement.” Wray made the remarks alongside Garland at the meeting.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and community and all those affected by this awful, awful act,” Wray said.
This post has been updated with remarks from Christopher Wray. CNN’s Devan Cole contributed reporting to this post.
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Sources: At least 4 killed and about 30 injured in school shooting
From CNN's John Miller
Students are evacuated to the football stadium after the school campus was placed on lockdown at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday.
AP
At least four people are believed to have been killed and approximately 30 more were injured in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, although it’s unclear how many of the injuries are from gunshot wounds, according to law enforcement sources.
This information is preliminary and is subject to change.
A suspect, who is of student age, is in custody, but it’s unclear if the person actually attends the school, according to the sources.
All schools in the district were placed in lockdown, and police were sent out of an abundance of caution to all district high schools, but there are no reports of secondary incidents or scenes, according to the sources.
Some of the critically injured were removed by helicopter, and additional helicopters are on standby.
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It could take "multiple days" to get answers on shooting, sheriff says
From CNN's Holly Yan
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said authorities are scrambling to find answers after Wednesday’s shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia — but also cautioned that those answers may not come quickly.
“We are asking for your patience … please let us get the facts that we need to make sure we get this right,” Smith said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”
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Authorities are in the process of reunifying students with parents, sheriff says
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
Authorities are reunifying students with parents following the shooting at Apalachee High School, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re in the process of reunifying our students with their parents. Obviously that’s chaotic, but we want to be respectful of them and their privacy, as well,” Smith said.
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There are "multiple injuries" in Apalachee high school shooting, sheriff says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith speaks during a press conference on Wednesday outside of Apalachee High School in Winder.
WANF
The Barrow County, Georgia, sheriff said multiple people were wounded in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder on Wednesday.
Sheriff Jud Smith said the investigation into the shooting is “very, very fluid” and in the early stages. He said there are “multiple injuries,” but declined to release a specific number.
“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” Smith said at a news conference.
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Apalachee High School is located about an hour outside of Atlanta
From CNN's Nick Valencia, Shawn Nottingham, Dakin Andone and Chris Boyette
Apalachee High School is located in the city of Winder, Georgia, which is a community about an hour outside of Atlanta.
The city has a population of about 18,338 as of the 2020 census, according to the US Census Bureau. The Barrow County School System is the 24th largest school district in the state, per the district’s website.
It serves about 15,340 students, 1,932 of whom are enrolled at Apalachee High School.
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Grady hospital received one gunshot victim from shooting at Apalachee High School
From CNN’s Chris Boyette
The exterior of Grady Hospital is seen in Atlanta on Wednesday.
WANF
Grady Health System in Atlanta has received one gunshot wound victim from Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Grady’s director of public relations, Danielle Hackett, told CNN.
The patient was transported to the hospital by helicopter, Hackett said.
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At least 2 dead in Georgia high school shooting, source says
From CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz
At least two people were killed in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, a law enforcement source briefed on the latest from the scene told CNN.
One person is in custody, according to a statement from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
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Biden briefed on reported Georgia school shooting
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the reported shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, the White House said.
The White House said in a statement that Biden was briefed by his Homeland Security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall.
The “administration will continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials as we receive more information,” the White House said.
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Casualties reported at Georgia high school and suspect is in custody, sheriff says
From CNN’s Chris Boyette
One person is in custody and casualties have been reported at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where multiple law enforcement agencies, fire and emergency services personnel were dispatched to a reported active shooting, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Authorities were dispatched around 10:23 a.m. ET, according to the release.
“This is an ongoing situation,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Georgia governor says he's directed state resources to respond to high school incident
Emergency response officials respond to a reported shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday.
WXIA
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he has directed available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
He said in a post on X, “(I) 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.”
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Students cleared to leave high school building, according to county school system
From CNN’s Chris Boyette
The Barrow County School System says students are being cleared to leave the building and parents have been notified to pick them up at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where Georgia State Police tell CNN it is responding to an active scene.
The school system said students in need of transportation will have it provided. System officials would not elaborate on what happened.
Video from outside the school shows several ambulances and a large active police presence.
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FBI is responding to possible school shooting in Georgia
From CNN’s Josh Campbell
FBI agents respond to Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, following a reported shooting on Wednesday.
WANF
Special agents from the FBI have responded to Apalachee High School in order to assist local law enforcement, a bureau spokesperson tells CNN.
FBI Atlanta also said in a post on X that it is aware of the situation and “agents are on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”
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Hospital receiving patients with gunshot wounds, source tells CNN
From CNN’s Nick Valencia and Shawn Nottingham
A source at a local hospital tells CNN they are receiving patients with gunshot wounds related to the incident at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
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Police and ambulances respond to active scene at Georgia high school
From CNN’s Nick Valencia and Shawn Nottingham
Georgia State Patrol tells CNN law enforcement is responding to an active scene at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Video from outside the school shows several ambulances and a large active police presence. At least one medical helicopter could be seen airlifting a patient from the scene.
Winder is located about an hour outside of Atlanta.
The first day of school was August 1, according to the Barrow County School System’s calendar.
