A 14-year-old student opened fire at a high school in Georgia, USA on Wednesday, killing four people. An official confirmed this information. The student accused of the attack that took place on Wednesday (late Wednesday night IST) at Apalachee High School in Winder, Barrow County has been taken into custody.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the incident. A Bureau official said that the name of the accused student is Colt Gray and he has been arrested from the school campus itself. He has already been under investigation regarding weapons.
He said that due to the incident, students had to take shelter in their classrooms after which they were sent to the football stadium to ensure their safety. After the incident, parents also reached the school to inquire about the safety of their children. The dead included two students and two teachers from Apalachee High School.
Nine other people, including eight students and a teacher, were injured
Nine other people, including eight students and a teacher, were also injured in the incident and were admitted to the hospital. This incident happened in Winder which is about an hour’s drive from Atlanta. Sophomore Kaylee Ebner was in geometry class when she heard the gunshot. Hearing the sound, Abner and her friends hid under their teacher’s desk.
A CNN report gives interviews with some students present at the time of the attack. According to a student, Laila Sayarath, the attacker came and knocked on the door while she was studying Algebra in class, but another student refused to open the door after seeing the gun in his hand. After this, he went to the next room and started firing. Student Alexandra Romero, who survived the firing, was quoted as saying that the attacker shouted as soon as he entered the classroom and warned the students. After this, he opened fire. All I remember is that my hands and legs were trembling and everyone was crying. I’m still imagining the blood and screaming etc.
After this, the teacher created a barrier by placing the desk in front of the door so that no one could enter the class. Ebner said that after students gathered at the football stadium, he saw teachers taking off their shirts and bandaging the wounds of the injured.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosie said that within minutes of the shooting being reported, two school officers attempted to restrain the attacking student. He said that the suspect was a school student. He immediately surrendered and was taken into custody. A case of murder as an adult has been registered against the accused student.
At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they were investigating how the suspect got the gun and entered the school in Barrow County. During this, Barrow County Sheriff Judd Smith cried while giving information about the incident. He said that he grew up at this place and his children study in school.
This is very insulting: Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris said during an election campaign in New Hampshire, “It is outrageous that every day in our country America, parents have to send their children to school worrying about whether the child will survive.” Will he be able to return home or not?
In a message posted on social media, former President Donald Trump said, “These beloved children were taken from us too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”
“This is a day every parent will dread, and this tragic event will cause Georgians everywhere to hug their children tight and refuse to let them go,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said in a statement. ”
The Atlanta office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said its officers remained at the school and were “coordinating and cooperating with local law enforcement agencies.”
The cause of the incident remains unclear
Bureau of Investigation officials have not yet told why the accused boy opened fire in this manner. According to the BBC report, Sheriff Smith has only said that the suspected boy has been interrogated while in custody, but it will take several days to know the reason why this incident happened. The investigating officers have not made public any information regarding the number of weapons and cartridges used in the firing. Investigating officers say that considering the seriousness of the incident, the minor teenager will be prosecuted like an adult criminal. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. The Atlanta office of the FBI also said in a statement that our officers are present at the scene to assist local investigative teams.
The accused has already been under investigation
The report quoted the FBI as saying that the accused teenager had been under investigation before also. He was interrogated in May 2023 when he made threats in an online post. He had also uploaded pictures of guns in these posts. His father was also interrogated in this matter. The father had admitted that there were hunting guns in the house, but he could not give any answer as to how these guns reached the accused teenager.
