Yasmeen Hamadeh
At least four people have been killed and nine others wounded at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation shared that a suspect was alive and taken into custody following reports of an 'active shooter' coming in at around 10.20am this morning.
CNN reported earlier today that the shooter who opened fire inside Apalachee High School was believed to be a 14-year-old boy.
Law enforcement has since confirmed in a news conference that the suspect has been identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray. He was a student at the school.
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Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Chris Hosey further added that Gray will be charged with murder and will be tried as an adult.
Moreover, Hosey confirmed that four individuals died, two teachers and two students, and that nine have been injured.
"There are four individuals who are deceased from this incident. Nine that have been taken to local hospitals with various injuries. Of those that are deceased, two were students and two were teachers here at the school," Hosey said.
The victims have since been identified as 14-year-old student Mason Schermerhorn, 14-year-old student Christian Angulo, teacher Richard Aspinwall, and teacher Christina Irimie.
Aspinwall and Irimie were math teachers at Apalachee, according to the school’s website.
Earlier today, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith confirmed that there were 'multiple injuries' at a news conference. He declined to provide further information explaining that it would take 'multiple days' to determine what exactly happened.
"Every minute, it’s developing on what we’re finding," he added.
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office further added in a statement that deputies and emergency medical personnel rushed to the school at around 10.30am after receiving a call about an 'active shooter' (previous reports claimed authorities received a call at around 9.30 and arrived to the school at around 10.20, but Hosey has since confirmed they received the call at around 10.20am).
FBI agents from Atalanta were dispatched onto the scene to assist local authorities.
President Joe Biden has addressed the shooting in a statement earlier today writing: "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.
"Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write," he added. "We cannot continue to accept this as normal."
Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke on the shooting at a rally in New Hampshire today describing it as a 'senseless tragedy.'
"It’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive," Harris said.
"We’ve got to stop it," she said before adding: "It doesn’t have to be this way."
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