Four people are dead, and one suspect is in custody following a shooting at Apalachee High School, which is roughly 50 miles from Atlanta, Georgia.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed Wednesday afternoon that four people are dead, and nine others were injured and taken to hospitals. During 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 on counts of murder. Two of the people killed were students, and two were teachers.
“Hate will not prevail in this county,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said. “Love will prevail over what happened today.”
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement earlier in the day it dispatched multiple law enforcement agencies to the school at 10:23 a.m. in response to a reported active shooting. Police and emergency medical services are still at the scene.
At a press briefing early Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officials would not confirm any further details other than that multiple agencies are working to investigate the shooting and that the situation remains “fluid.”
“I appreciate you being patient with us. Again, it’s very active and is ever-developing. Every minute is developing on what we’re finding,” Smith said, while also emphasizing that it will take “multiple days” to get a full understanding of the shooting.
When asked directly about multiple reports of deaths as a result of the shooting, Smith declined to answer other than to say there were “multiple injuries.”
Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) has directed “all available state resources” to Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, after an “incident” there.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and 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 as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who represents the district where the school is located, said he spoke to Smith about any ways to assist the response and that he is praying for the students.
“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 extend our gratitude to law enforcement for their swift action to secure the school and get the shooter in custody. I have spoken with Sheriff Smith and told him my team and I are available to assist in any way necessary. We will continue to monitor and provide updates as prudent.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said schools in the city would have bolstered patrols for the rest of the day, and the Atlanta Police Department is on standby if officials in Winder need assistance responding to the shooting.
“My prayers are with the high school 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 been working with the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department to bolster patrols around our schools for the rest of the day out of an abundance of caution.
“APD has also been on standby in case law enforcement agencies need assistance with this incident,” he added. “May God comfort the victims and their loved ones in the difficult days ahead.”
FBI Atlanta division agents are “on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement,” officials said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also responding to the shooting.
President Joe Biden said he and the first lady were “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 in Winder, Georgia,” in a statement to X on Wednesday.
