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This article documents a recent school shooting. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (September 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

On September 4, 2024, a mass shooting occurred at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia, United States. Two students and two teachers were killed, while nine other people were injured. Georgia State Patrol responded to the scene with a heavy police presence.

A suspect, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was taken into custody and charged with four counts of felony murder. His father, Colin Gray, was also charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in relation to the shooting, having bought Gray the gun allegedly used in the shooting.

The attack is the deadliest school shooting in Georgia history.

Background

Apalachee High School is a public high school located in Barrow County, Georgia, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Atlanta. It is part of the Barrow County School District and has about 1,900 enrolled students. A week before the shooting, all teachers at the school were issued a form of ID called Centegix, which includes a panic button for any potential active situation in the school. The technology also includes a "dynamic digital mapping with real-time locating capabilities".

Shooting

Before the shooting, a call from an unknown source was placed to Apalachee High School stating that five schools would be targeted and that Apalachee would be the first.

According to a student, the shooter left his algebra classroom around 9:45 am; as the door was locked automatically, he knocked on it to re-enter. A student saw a gun and refused to allow the shooter back into the classroom. After being denied reentry back into the classroom, the shooter turned around and fired 10 to 15 rounds towards a nearby classroom.

One student told reporters that he had heard about 10 shots, not believing the shooting to be real until he heard an officer yelling at someone to put down their gun. Another recounted that after hearing the gunshots, the class barricaded the door with objects before hiding. One student stated that their teacher attempted to investigate the noises before being directed to lock the door, following reports of an active shooter. Subsequently, they heard someone pounding on the door shouting "Open up!" multiple times before gunshots and screams.

The school was placed in lockdown at around 10:20 am. and law enforcement responded at around 10:23 am. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation director said that the sheriff's office received calls of an active shooter at the school at around 10:20 a.m. local time, with responders arriving within minutes. The school resource officers engaged the suspect within minutes and he surrendered to them.

Students were evacuated from the building to the school's football field, after it had been deemed safe. Governor Brian Kemp directed all available state resources to assist at the scene of the shooting.

Victims

Four people were killed and nine others injured. The wounded were treated at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital in Athens and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Several patients were admitted with panic attacks.

The deceased victims were identified as 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, teacher Christina Irimie, and teacher and coach Richard Aspinwall. One other teacher and eight students were wounded in the shooting.

Accused

The suspect was not initially named by law enforcement, but was described as being a 14-year-old male who was taken into custody. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey later identified him as Colt Gray, a student at the school, adding that the suspect would be charged with murder and tried as an adult. The suspect reportedly used an AR-15 style rifle in the school shooting.

Gray was subsequently charged with felony murder. His father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, having bought the alleged murder weapon as a gift for his son.

Reporting revealed that in May 2023, local law enforcement, in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had visited Gray and his family to investigate school shooting threats posted online. The agencies confirmed that the subject of that investigation was a then 13-year-old Gray, but probable cause for an arrest did not exist.

Investigation

The U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Atlanta office confirmed that its agents were on scene. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the investigation.

Gray had allegedly made earlier threats on Discord; the username was said by the FBI to have included the last name of Adam Lanza, the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Response

The White House issued a statement confirming that President Joe Biden was briefed by Liz Sherwood-Randall, the Homeland Security Advisor, on the shooting and that his administration will "continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials" as they receive more information. Vice President Kamala Harris thanked first responders and stated that it "doesn't have to be this way". Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed his devastation with regards to the shooting and to anyone affected by it. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented on the shooting during the afternoon press briefing, discussing the concern for gun control in the form of universal background checks and other programs.

Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp tweeted his condolences and asked for all Georgians to join in praying for the safety of students in classrooms. Andre Dickens, mayor of Atlanta, offered his thoughts and prayers to those affected as well as support to responding law enforcement. Georgia U.S. Representative Mike Collins, whose congressional district includes the school, issued a statement offering prayers for the victims and their families. Collins' response was met with criticism from gun control advocates, with some accusing Collins of endorsing gun violence; a 2022 campaign ad from Collins' Twitter resurfaced, featuring Collins with an assault rifle as he accused Biden of stealing the 2020 US Presidential election and threatened to go to Washington, D.C. to "blow up the Democrats' cover up".

Marjorie Taylor Greene, another U.S. Representative from Georgia, also issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) offering support to the victims and families. Like Collins, Greene had faced criticism for campaign ads involving guns, as well as promoting baseless statements about previous shootings, such as the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, which she falsely claimed was a false flag act to promote anti-gun laws.

See also

• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2024
• List of school shootings in the United States (2000–present)

References

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• Current events from September 2024
• 2020s crimes in Georgia (U.S. state)
• 2024 in Georgia (U.S. state)
• 2024 mass shootings in the United States
• Barrow County, Georgia
• High school killings in the United States
• High school shootings in the United States
• Mass shootings in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Mass shootings involving AR-15–style rifles
• School shootings committed by pupils
• September 2024 crimes in the United States
• Mass shootings in the United States