2 Students, 2 Teachers Killed In GA School Shooting

Updated at 9:05 p.m.

WINDER, GA — Two teachers and two students were fatally shot Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, while another nine victims were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Shooting suspect Colt Gray, 14, a student at the school, was arrested Wednesday and will be charged as an adult on suspicion of murder, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The conditions of those injured were not immediately known, and those who were killed were not identified.

The teen surrendered immediately when school resource officers confronted him, GBI Director Chris Hosey said. A motive in the shooting was not revealed.

“This hits home for me, I was born and raised here, I went to this school system, my kids go to this school system," Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said at an afternoon press conference. "My heart hurts for these kids. I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county. Love will prevail over what happened today. I assure you of that.”

Schools will be closed for the rest of this week in Barrow so law enforcement can continue their investigation, Barrow County School Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said.

Central offices will be open and grief counseling will be offered in the following days. Anyone with information about the shootings can call (800) 597-8477 to anonymously share tips.

Reports of additional shootings at nearby schools are false, the GBI said.

Smith said at an earlier news conference that authorities responded around 10:30 a.m. to the school on Haymon Morris Road.

“What you see behind us is an evil thing," Smith said, standing outside the school.

Hosey said authorities arrived within minutes of being notified of the shooting and immediately encountered Gray, who then surrendered.

Smith surmised Gray knew the situation would end in a police shooting if he did not surrender.

Hosey added the investigation remained active through Wednesday. He sent his sympathy to students and staff, noting the impact the shooting had on the local community.

"They are in our thoughts and prayers," Hosey said.

Smith said it would take days to fully unravel details regarding the shooting.

Grady Memorial Hospital said in a statement that the hospital has received one gunshot wound victim from Apalachee High.

Authorities have not said what sort of gun the suspect used or how it was obtained.

A phone threat was called in to Apalachee High early Wednesday morning, "warning that there would be shootings at five schools," starting with Apalachee, law enforcement told CNN. The source of the call was not immediately known.

Smith said he was not aware of any threatening calls to the school.

"Surely, if someone decides to take a firearm into a school where kids are given an education, where they're entitled to an education, and want to harm others, to me, it's hateful," he said.

Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods called the fatal shooting "an unimaginable loss for Barrow and our entire educational community across the state."

Woods tweeted he is devastated and said his heart goes out to the impacted families. He added the Georgia Department of Education is monitoring the situation.

"Our school safety team is in contact with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and with Barrow County Schools, and our entire agency stands ready to assist in any way possible," Richards said. "I ask that all Georgians keep the community of Apalachee High School, and first and foremost, the families of those lost, in your thoughts. I know we will come together as a state to support the Barrow County community as they face this tragic loss."

Responding agencies included the Georgia State Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the GBI.

Gray and his father were both interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff's office in 2023 about a possible threat, but there was no probable cause for arrest or further action at the time, The Washington Post reported.

The FBI's Atlanta Field Office said Jackson County authorities had received anonymous tips about online threats reportedly made by Gray to commit a school shooting. The online threats were made in May 2023 and were accompanied by photos of guns.

Gray, who was 13 at the time, and his father were interviewed by the sheriff’s office. The Post said Gray's father told investigators he had hunting guns in the house but his son did not have unsupervised access to the weapons. The teen denied making the online threats, and the sheriff’s office notified local schools.

According to a school shooting tracker used by news organizations, the worst shooting in U.S. history was the Sandy Hook school shooting that killed 26 people, followed by the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting that killed 21 students and teachers, and the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting that claimed 17 lives.

Students, Parents Recall Moments During Deadly Shooting

Apalachee High was placed on hard lockdown after the local school system received reports of a possible shooting, Fox 5 Atlanta reported earlier in the day.

Parents were notified via a message around 10:45 a.m. about the shooting and subsequent lockdown, the Athens Banner-Herald reported. Parents were asked to not arrive at the school while officers worked to secure the scene, the news outlet reported.

According to sources, students texted parents and siblings to tell them they loved them as gunshots sounded in the building.

Jacob King, a sophomore football player, said he had dozed off in his world history class after a morning practice when he heard about 10 gunshots. He heard an officer yelling at someone to put down their gun, and when King's class was led out, he saw officers shielding what appeared to be an injured student.

Ashley Enoh was at home Wednesday morning when she got a text from her brother, who’s a senior at Apalachee High School: “Just so you know, I love you," he texted her.

When she asked in the family group chat what was going on, he said there was a shooter at the school.

When Erin Clark, 42, received a text from her son Ethan, a senior at the high school, that there was an active shooter, she rushed from her job at the Amazon warehouse to the school. The two texted “I love you,” and Clark said she prayed for her son as she drove to the high school.

Clark said her son was writing an essay in class when he first heard the gunshots. Her son then worked with his classmates to barricade the door and hide.

“I’m so proud of him for doing that,” she said. “He was so brave.”

'Enough is Enough'

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the shooting before she gave a speech in North Hampton, New Hampshire.

“Our hearts are with the students and their families,” Harris said. “This is a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

In a message posted to social media, former President Donald Trump said: “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”

President Joe Biden said the White House is coordinating with officials in Georgia. He urged Republicans in Congress to work with Democrats to pass gun safety legislation that bans assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requires safe storage of firearms, enacts universal background checks and ends immunity for gun manufacturers.

"Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed. What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart," Biden's statement said. "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."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference "we're seeing yet another horrific shooting" on a day that is supposed to be exciting for students in the U.S. as they return to school. Barrow County students have been in school for about a month since the Aug. 1 start date of the 2024-25 academic year.

"Please know that our hearts are with those families in Winder, Georgia, who are forced to face this act of senseless violence," she said.

Jean-Pierre doubled down on the White House's push for gun control - advocating for universal background checks, the implementation of violence prevention programs and the ban of assault weapons.

"Enough is enough," she said. "Congress needs to act."

The White House is prepared to offer support, if necessary, Jean-Pierre said. School shootings "are not normal. Students and teachers deserve to know that their schools are safe. They should focus on learning, not lockdowns," she said.

Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted he has made available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee.

"(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. We will continue to work with local, state and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation," Kemp tweeted.

Widespread Impact of Barrow School Shooting

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city's police department will help Barrow County authorities if needed.

"My prayers are with the high school students, staff, and families affected by the act of violence in Winder, Georgia. I have been in contact with APD chief, and APD has been working with Atlanta Public Schools Police Department to bolster patrols around our schools for the rest of the day out of an abundance of caution," Dickens said. "May God comfort the victims and their loved ones in the difficult days ahead."

Cobb County School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale around 3:30 p.m. said the district's thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by the fatal shooting.

"I am so incredibly thankful for our school district police officers and all first responders who work to shield and protect our students and staff every single day,” Ragsdale said.

Newton County Schools, about 40 miles from Barrow, locked their schools down as a precaution, the school system tweeted. Police presence at the schools were also increased. The lockdown has since been lifted.

The Newton County Board of Education around 5 p.m. sent its condolences to Barrow County.

"Today's tragedy is unspeakable, and we are devastated by the news that lives were lost as a result of the reprehensible violence visited upon Apalachee High School. In the days and weeks that follow, we will keep our colleagues and dear friends in our prayers, and we stand ready to provide whatever assistance or support may be needed," the BOE tweeted.

The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System also escalated security as a cautionary measure, WSAV reported.

Winder is about 50 miles from Atlanta.

Apalachee High School has about 1,900 students, the Associated Press said, citing Georgia education officials. It became Barrow County's second-largest public high school when it opened in 2000, according to the Barrow County School System. It is named after the Apalachee River on the southern edge of Barrow County.

This story includes reporting from The Associated Press.