2 students, 2 teachers killed in shooting at Georgia high school; teen suspect in custody

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. (WANF/Gray News) - Two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed during a Wednesday morning shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia.

The students who died were identified as Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. The teachers were identified by authorities as 39-year-old Richard Aspenwall and 53-year-old Christina Irimie.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said an additional nine victims, which includes eight students and one teacher, were injured during the shooting and transported to hospitals in the area.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said all nine of those injured victims are expected to fully recover.

“These are our neighbors, these are our friends and this community is hurting today,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday night.

A teen suspect was taken into custody after he surrendered to school resource officers, according to authorities. He was identified by Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the school.

Gray will be tried as an adult on murder charges, Hosey said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said initial reports that the suspect had been “neutralized” were incorrect. Authorities also said reports identifying other individuals with similar names as suspects were inaccurate.

Dozens of ambulances and officers were on the ground at the school, alongside a medic helicopter.

At least one person was loaded into the helicopter on a stretcher. The helicopter was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, a trauma center in the area.

A second medic helicopter was later seen arriving at the school.

Students were evacuated into the school’s stadium while waiting to be released to their parents.

The Barrow County sheriff said an “evil thing” happened at the school, speaking of the shooting.

Officials are still trying to determine a possible motive, however, Smith said law enforcement does not believe there is a connection between the suspected shooter and the victims.

Gray was previously questioned in May 2023 about online threats made about committing an unspecific school shooting, but the then-13-year-old denied those claims.

Authorities have not determined how Gray obtained the AR platform-style firearm or how he was able to bring the gun into the school, Hosey said.

One student said she heard screaming, but thought it was someone playing in the hallways.

“I didn’t think much of it but then it got harder, the noise kept getting louder and louder, and I was like, ‘No, no guys.’ Like I told everybody, ‘Get down. Get down,’ because just like, you don’t joke around with that, you know?” she said.

The school was put on a hard lockdown and students were evacuated.

The Georgia governor said he “directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School.”

“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation,” Kemp said on X.

The FBI and GBI were on the scene assisting local law enforcement agents.

Investigators said there is no evidence that suggests anybody else was involved in the shooting.

“Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “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.”

“It’s just outrageous that every day, in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive,” Vice President Kamala Harris said during a campaign stop in New Hampshire.

“These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster,” former President Donald Trump said in a social media post.

“I’m devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. The Justice Department stands ready to provide any resources or support,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Officials said schools in the district will closed for the remainder of the week. There was a public vigil at Jug Tavern Park at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Apalachee High School has about 1,900 students, according to records from Georgia education officials obtained by the Associated Press. The school became Barrow County’s second largest public high school when it opened in 2000, according to the Barrow County School System.

Barrow County is about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta.

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