Apalachee High School shooting: Four victims identified, 14-year-old suspect in custody

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed Wednesday afternoon that four people were dead and nine others were injured and taken to hospitals. At a news conference hours later, authorities announced the suspect was Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student at the school. Gray will be tried as an adult for murder.

Two of those killed were students, later identified as Mason Shermerhorn and Christian Angelo, both 14, and two were teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie.

“Hate will not prevail in this county,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said. “Love will prevail over what happened today.”

Update: Four dead. Nine others injured were taken to various hospitals. The suspect is in custody and alive. Reports that the suspect has been “neutralized” are inaccurate.

— Georgia Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) September 4, 2024

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office said in a statement earlier in the day that it dispatched multiple law enforcement agencies to the school at 10:23 a.m. in response to a reported shooting. Police and EMS remain on scene.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officials would not confirm further details, other than to say multiple agencies are investigating the shooting and the situation remains “fluid.”

“I appreciate your patience with us. Again, this is a very active and evolving case. Every minute we learn what we're discovering,” Smith said, while noting that it will take “a number of days” to have a full understanding of the shooting.

Asked directly about the multiple reports of deaths resulting from the shooting, Smith declined to answer, saying only that there were “multiple injuries.”

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) directed “all available state resources” to Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, after an “incident” there.

We will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to gather information and further respond to this situation. (2/2)

— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) September 4, 2024

“I have mobilized all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and 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,” Kemp said. “We will continue to work with local, state and federal partners to gather information and respond to this situation.”

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who represents the district where the school is located, said he has spoken to Smith about all ways to help with the response and is praying for the students.

Leigh Ann and I pray for the victims, their families, and all the students at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.

We extend our thanks to law enforcement for their quick action to secure the school and arrest the shooter.

I spoke with Sheriff Smith and…

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) September 4, 2024

“Leigh Ann and I are praying for the victims, their families, and all students at Apalachee High School in Barrow County,” Collins said on X. “We express our gratitude to law enforcement for their quick action to secure the school and take the shooter into custody. I have spoken to Sheriff Smith and have let him know that my team and I are available to assist in any way necessary. We will continue to monitor and provide updates as needed.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city's schools would have increased patrols for the rest of the day and that the Atlanta Police Department was on standby if Winder officials needed help responding to the shooting.

“My prayers go out to the students, staff and families affected by the senseless act of violence in Winder, Georgia,” Dickens said in a statement Wednesday. “I have been in contact with Chief Schierbaum, and the Atlanta Police Department has worked with the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department to increase patrols around our schools for the remainder of the day out of an abundance of caution.”

“APD is also on standby in case law enforcement needs assistance with this incident,” he added. “May God comfort the victims and their loved ones in the difficult days ahead.”

Agents from the FBI's Atlanta division are on scene “coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement,” authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also responding to the shooting.

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President Joe Biden said he and the first lady “mourn the loss of those whose lives were cut short due to even more senseless gun violence and are thinking of all the survivors whose lives were forever changed in Winder, Georgia,” in a statement to X on Wednesday.

“Students across the country are learning to hide and protect themselves instead of learning to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” he continued.