‘Thankful to be alive’: Apalachee teen survivor recounts moment shooting suspect shot him several times

ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - One of the surviving students of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia said he feels ‘thankful’ to be alive.

Ronaldo Vega, 14, was shot several times in the arm and leg during the shooting.

Vega told WANF that he couldn’t believe his eyes as gunshots hailed into his classroom.

“He shot the first one, and then that’s when I immediately ducked down to cover myself,” he said. “He looked at me, but I was lucky enough that he didn’t point the gun at me.”

Bullets and blood sprayed across the floor, Vega said.

Vega told WANF that when the shooter walked back out into the hall, he closed the door, which locks by itself.

“I (didn’t) want nothing more to happen. Because if it did happen, I wouldn’t be here right now,” he said.

Only entering the second month of his freshman year, Vega is still in shock — but he’s thankful to be alive.

Following the tragedy, Vega returned to the school after being released from the hospital to pray for his two classmates and two teachers who didn’t make it out alive.

“Pray for your kids that go to school, because you never know what will happen,” he said.

Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student at the school, has been identified as the shooting suspect. He faces four counts of felony murder and will soon see more charges, Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith announced on Friday.

Gray’s father, Colin Gray, was also taken into custody on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.

Authorities believe he gave his son the AR-15-style rifle that was allegedly used in the shooting.

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