A 14-year-old student has been taken into custody following a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including two students and two teachers.
The incident occurred on Wednesday and has left the community reeling. The victims have been identified as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both aged 14, and teachers Richard Aspenwall and Christina Irimie. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey announced the identities during a press briefing.
The chaos unfolded as students sought refuge, with many hiding in classrooms while others fled to the football stadium as law enforcement worked to secure the premises. Several individuals were injured, but they are expected to recover, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith. A total of nine people were transported to hospitals for treatment.
Inside the school, students faced terrifying moments. Junior Layla Ferrell recounted that her class was alerted to a “hard lockdown” through a screen as the lights began flashing. Her classmates quickly barricaded the door with desks and chairs.
Sophomore Kaylee Abner described how, after hearing gunshots in her geometry class, she and her classmates took cover behind their teacher’s desk, holding hands in fear. After gathering in the football stadium, she saw teachers using their shirts to help the wounded.
The shooter, a student at the school, was confronted by two school resource officers and surrendered without further incident. The suspect, who used an assault-style rifle, is being charged as an adult with murder. Authorities are investigating how the teen obtained the weapon and brought it into the school.
This incident follows a previous FBI investigation in 2023 concerning anonymous tips about online threats made by the suspect. The local sheriff’s department interviewed the teen and his father, who denied the teen had unsupervised access to firearms. At that time, authorities did not have enough evidence to make an arrest but had advised local schools to monitor the situation.
As the investigation continues, the community grapples with the profound impact of this tragedy. Sheriff Smith, deeply affected and a local parent, expressed his sorrow: “My heart hurts for these kids. My heart hurts for our community.” He emphasized that “love will prevail” despite the day’s horrors.
This shooting adds to the troubling statistics of school shootings in the U.S., which have sparked ongoing debates over gun control but have yet to lead to significant federal changes. The Apalachee High School tragedy is among the many mass shootings in 2024, a year that has already seen 29 such incidents claiming at least 127 lives.
Survivors of the attack shared their experiences. Eleventh-grader Landon Culver, who was outside his algebra class when the shooting began, saw the suspect in a hoodie with a long gun. He ran back to his classroom, locked the door, and huddled in the dark with his classmates as gunshots rang out.
Reflecting on the experience, Culver said, “You’re just wondering which one of those is going to be somebody that you’re best friends with or somebody that you love.”
Parents rushed to the school, anxiously seeking news of their children. Erin Clark, whose son Ethan had texted her about the shooter, arrived at the school to find him safe on the football field. Clark expressed her mixed emotions, saying, “It makes me scared to send him back.”
The community has been deeply shaken by the events. Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the ongoing violence in schools, stating, “It’s outrageous that every day in our country, parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not they will come home alive.” Former President Donald Trump also commented, calling the shooter a “sick and deranged monster.”
In response to the shooting, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp canceled a scheduled speech and returned to the state, expressing his grief. “This is a day every parent dreads,” he said, adding that all Georgians would “hug their children tighter this evening.”
A vigil was held at Jug Tavern Park in Winder, with hundreds in attendance, including members of the rival Winder-Barrow High School. Attendees offered prayers and released balloons in the school’s colors. Sophomore Shantal Sanvee, who was near the gunfire, reflected on the trauma, stating, “I don’t think I want to be here for like a long time now.”
