September 05, 2024, 12:01 PM
At least four people were killed and nine were injured in a school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, United States.
GBI has responded to a shooting @ Apalachee H.S. in Barrow Co. We have agents on site assisting local, state, & federal law enforcement w/ the investigation. One suspect in custody. We urge anyone near the area to stay clear while authorities investigate. More info to follow.
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) September 4, 2024
The suspected shooter, Colt Gray, 14, threatened to carry out a school shooting in 2023, making threats online with pictures of guns, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
— FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) September 4, 2024
The shooting occurred at around midnight Singapore time on Sep. 5, 2024.
Law enforcement rushed to the high school at 10:23am (US time).
Two students and two teachers died during the shooting, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The victims have been identified as Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Christian Angulo, 14, Richard Aspenwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.
Gray surrendered immediately when confronted, and will be charged as an adult, NBC and CNN reported.
There was no known connection between the suspected shooter and the victims.
A student told CNN that the Gray left the classroom at the beginning of their Algebra 1 class.
He returned near the end of the class and knocked to get back in, but the students in the classroom noticed that he had a gun and didn't open the door.
He went to the classroom next door and opened fire, she said.
A "senseless tragedy": Kamala Harris
Vice president Kamala Harris called the shooting a "senseless tragedy" when speaking at a rally in New Hampshire.
Today, Doug and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by gun violence at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
Our hearts are with the students, teachers, and families impacted by this shooting, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement…
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 4, 2024
“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,” Harris said.
“We’ve got to stop it,” she said, adding that “it doesn’t have to be this way.”
"Cherished children" taken by "deranged monster": Donald Trump
"These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster," former president Donald Trump said on his platform Truth Social.
"Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event," he added.
Trump's running mate, JD Vance, also commented on the shooting via a post on X.
Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this 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.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 4, 2024
"Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me": Joe Biden
"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," said President Joe Biden on X.
The White House also released a statement on the shooting.
Photo via White House
"Thoughts and prayers are not enough," he said, calling for the banning of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
He called upon Republicans to work with him on passing gun safety legislation.
"These measures won't bring back those who we've lost, but it will help prevent gun violence from ripping more families apart."
Top photo via @ABC7NY/X
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