A 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people in a tragic school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, had previously been interviewed by police about anonymous online threats, according to the FBI. The suspect, identified as Colt Gray, opened fire on Wednesday, leaving two teachers and two students dead, and injuring eight other students and one teacher. Authorities arrested him on the school campus, where he is now being charged as an adult for the horrific attack.
Victims of the shooting have been identified as teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, as well as 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. The shooter reportedly used an “AR-platform style weapon” during the attack, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) director Chris Hosey confirmed in a news conference. This tragedy marks the 23rd school shooting in the U.S. this year, a devastating statistic that continues to haunt the country.
The FBI disclosed that it had received anonymous tips in May 2023, a year before the shooting, about online threats referencing a potential school shooting. These threats included images of guns and warnings of a school attack, but at the time, the location and timing of the incident were unspecified. Within 24 hours, investigators determined the threats originated in Georgia, prompting local sheriff’s deputies to interview the boy and his father. The father admitted to having hunting guns in their home, but insisted his son did not have unsupervised access to them. At that time, the suspect, who was 13 years old, denied involvement in the online threats. The authorities found no probable cause to arrest him or take further action, though they alerted local schools to keep him under watch.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith described the attack as “pure evil.” He noted that law enforcement responded rapidly, with officers arriving on the scene just minutes after the first 911 call was made at 10:20 AM local time. Two officers who were stationed at the school quickly confronted the shooter, who immediately surrendered without resistance.
The suspect was questioned by investigators following his arrest, though authorities have yet to identify a clear motive for the attack. Sheriff Smith indicated that no specific targets had been identified in the investigation, and the reasons behind the shooting remain unclear.
Students at Apalachee High School described a chaotic scene as the shooting unfolded. Lyela Sayarath, a classmate of the suspect, recalled that he left the classroom at the beginning of an algebra lesson and later returned, knocking on the locked door. A fellow student, recognizing that the suspect was armed, refused to let him in. The shooter then moved to a nearby classroom, where he opened fire. Another student, Marques Coleman, 14, described seeing the attacker carrying a “big gun” and heard him fire at least 10 shots as students ran for safety. Coleman also witnessed classmates being shot, including one girl who was hit in the leg and another friend who was shot in the stomach.
Following the shooting, a vigil was held in Winder, a city of 18,000 people located about 50 miles from Atlanta. The community gathered to mourn the lives lost and support those injured in this senseless act of violence.
This latest shooting in Georgia adds to the grim tally of school shootings in the United States. According to Education Week, which tracks school shootings nationwide, 11 people have died and 38 others have been injured in 23 school shootings so far in 2024. The K-12 School Shooting Database, led by researcher David Riedman, identified this attack as the first “planned” school shooting of the 2024 fall term.
As investigations continue, questions remain about how the suspect obtained the weapon used in the attack and whether more could have been done to prevent this tragedy. The shooting serves as a chilling reminder of the ongoing epidemic of gun violence in schools across the country, prompting renewed calls for action to ensure the safety of students and teachers.