This is a developing story.
Colt Gray, the alleged gunman who opened fire at Apalachee High School. Barrow County, GeorgiaPolice say four people were killed and at least nine others were injured when a gunman opened fire on innocent people inside the school on Wednesday morning.
The four victims killed included two students, Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Ermi, authorities said.
Gray, a 14-year-old student Apalachee High School According to GBI Director Chris Hosey, the lone suspect opened fire using an “AR-platform style weapon.”
During a press conference Wednesday evening, Hosey said authorities are still investigating where Gray obtained the weapon.
Georgia school shooting: Live updates
Barrow County Sheriff Jude Smith speaks during a press conference following the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, US, on September 4, 2024. (Reuters/Elijah Knowles)
Joint statement issued Atlanta Field Office of the FBI And a report released Wednesday by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office revealed that law enforcement had received an anonymous tip about online threats regarding a possible school shooting in 2023.
The FBI said the person referred to in the statement is a 13-year-old boy who “is in custody in connection with the shooting that occurred at Apalachee High School today.”
“The FBI has forwarded this information to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for action,” Hosey said.
“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office identified and located Gray, who is our suspect in this case. They investigated at that time and there was no probable cause to make an arrest or take any additional law enforcement action. This is not a recent incident. It’s in the past, but we wanted to bring it to your attention because we’re working on it.”
According to Hosey, law enforcement agencies are also looking into prior contact between Gray and his family and the Department of Family and Children Services, according to the investigation.
“This is still a very dynamic investigation. It’s still very active,” Hosie said.
At approximately 10:20 a.m., about two hours after classes began at Apalachee, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an active shooter.
“Within a few minutes, law enforcement and two school resource officers assigned to the school were on scene,” Hosey said Wednesday afternoon.
“When they encountered the individual he immediately surrendered to officers and was taken into custody,” Hosey said.
Apalachee High School students describe horror of deadly shooting
Cars are parked along the road as law enforcement officers work at the scene of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, USA, September 4, 2024. (Reuters/Elijah Knowles)
Barrow County Sheriff Jude Smith said Wednesday night that teachers at Apalachee High School have been individually equipped with Centegix IDs, which, at the press of a button, alert law enforcement officers to an active incident.
“The protocols at this school and this system that was activated today prevented a tragedy far greater than what occurred here today from occurring,” Hosey said.
“The people who have died are heroes in my book,” Hosie told reporters. “The people who are in the hospital right now and recovering are heroes in my book.”
Hosey said Apalachee’s faculty and staff also acted heroically, and made commendable efforts to save the lives of innocent students.
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An ambulance leaves the school after the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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Smith said Gray was booked into the detention center and will be transported to the Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC) in Dalton.
He will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, according to Hosey.
“It’s tragic when anybody preys on children. What happened today was absolutely evil,” Smith said.
Local law enforcement agencies, along with Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brad Smith, are coordinating the investigation and charges.
“Our priority right now in this investigation is to gather all the facts,” Hosey said. “This is a homicide investigation.”
According to news agency Xinhua, the surviving victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment of various injuries. Law enforcement,
