A 14-year-old student opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, killing four people and injuring several others on Wednesday, authorities reported. The tragic event sent students fleeing for safety within their classrooms before being directed to the football stadium as law enforcement officers quickly arrived on the scene. Desperate parents rushed to the school, located about an hour from Atlanta, to ensure their children’s safety.
Among the victims were two students and two teachers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) identified the deceased as 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and educators Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. GBI Director Chris Hosey confirmed the deaths during a late-night press conference.
Additionally, nine people—eight students and one teacher—were injured in the shooting and transported to local hospitals. Thankfully, all are expected to survive, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.
The school went into an immediate “hard lockdown” as the shooter began firing. Junior student Layla Ferrell recalled the terror in her health class, where she and her classmates quickly barricaded the door with desks and chairs after seeing the lockdown message appear on their classroom screens. In a geometry class nearby, sophomore Kaylee Abner reported hearing the gunshots and hiding with her classmates behind their teacher’s desk. As they waited in fear for police to arrive, their teacher tried to fortify the classroom by flipping over the desk. Abner described holding hands with a classmate who was praying during the terrifying ordeal.
In the chaos that followed, students were eventually escorted to the school’s football stadium for safety. There, Abner witnessed teachers removing their shirts to assist in treating students who had been wounded.
Law enforcement officers acted swiftly, with two school resource officers confronting the shooter within minutes of the initial shots being fired. The shooter, a 14-year-old student at Apalachee High, immediately surrendered and was taken into custody. He now faces adult murder charges. Investigators have confirmed that the weapon used in the attack was an assault-style rifle, though authorities are still working to determine how the teen acquired the gun and brought it onto the school grounds.
This wasn’t the first time the suspect had come to the attention of law enforcement. In May 2023, the FBI received anonymous tips about online threats related to an unspecified school shooting. The threats were traced back to the 14-year-old, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office conducted an interview with him and his father. During the interview, the father admitted that there were hunting firearms in their home, but assured officers that his son didn’t have unsupervised access to them. The teenager also denied making any threats, and there was no further evidence to support an arrest at the time. Local schools were alerted to monitor the teen, but no further action was taken.
In addition to this prior investigation, the Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services had also been in contact with the student in the past. Authorities are now investigating whether that interaction had any bearing on Wednesday’s tragic events.
Barrow County, the rapidly growing suburban area where Apalachee High School is located, is now reeling in the wake of this devastating shooting. Sheriff Smith, visibly emotional during a press conference, acknowledged the deep ties he and many other members of the community have to the local school system, adding that his own children are part of it. Investigations continue as officials seek answers on how this tragedy unfolded.