At least 4 killed in Georgia high school shooting

WINDER, Ga. - Four people were killed and nine others were hospitalized after a gunfire Wednesday morning at Apalachee High School. Among the four individuals killed were two students and two teachers.

Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said that the suspect was taken into custody and will be charged with murder. Hosey identified the shooter as Colt Gray, a 14-year-old Freshman student at Apalachee. Despite his age, Gray will be handled as an adult as he moves through the criminal justice system.

Multiple law enforcement officials said that Apalachee received a phone call this morning warning that there would be shootings at five local schools and that Apalachee would be the first. It is unknown who placed the phone call, but officials are investigating its origin. The first reports of an active shooter came in around 10:20 a.m., and law enforcement arrived minutes later. Once police encountered Gray, he immediately surrendered.

Jayden Finch, an Apalachee student who was in a nearby classroom when the shootings took place, said that it’s been difficult to process everything that happened today because it all happened so fast.

“It was straight silence and then you just hear gunshots and everyone just runs to the corner,” Jayden said.

The weapon used in the shooting has been identified as an AR-15-style rifle. According to a database by USA TODAY, this is the first school mass killing this fall. The 2023-2024 school year saw a dramatic rise in shootings with at least 144 instances of gun violence.

Barrow County School System Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said Wednesday afternoon that all schools in the area will be closed for the rest of the week, and crisis counseling services will be made available.

This is a developing story.

Maia Valerio is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email mrv5245@psu.edu.