At least four students have been killed and 30 others injured after a gunman opened fire at a suburban high school in Georgia, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said. Associated Press on Wednesday.
A law enforcement source said CNN The suspect is believed to be a 14-year-old boy. It was unclear if he was a student at Apalachee High School in Winder, a town about an hour outside of Atlanta.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said nine people were hospitalized after the shooting. Which happened around 9.30 am local time.
“What you see behind us today is an evil thing,” Barrow County Sheriff Judd Smith said at an afternoon news conference.
The sheriff said authorities have not yet established a motive. “We are asking for your patience… please let us get the facts that we need to make sure we get this right,” he said. “It will take us several days to get answers to what happened and why.”
David Phoenix, a special education teacher and coach at Apalachee High School, was identified by his daughter Katie Phoenix as one of the victims of the shooting. She said on Facebook that her father was “shot in the leg and in the hip, breaking his hip bone.
“He arrived at the hospital alert and awake,” she continued. “He just came out of surgery and is stable. We will update as we hear new information. We are very fortunate, but please keep our family as well as the AHS family in your prayers.”
The fall semester at Apalachee High School began on August 1. The school has approximately 1,800 students in four grades.
The attack marked the deadliest school shooting in state history The New York TimesIt cited data from the Gun Violence Archive.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were “mourning the deaths” of those killed, “and thinking of all the survivors whose lives have been forever changed.
“What should have been a fun back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart,” he said. “Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of reading and writing. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.
Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) has directed the Atlanta FBI to support local law enforcement.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for their safety in our classrooms in Barrow County and across the state,” Kemp said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland added that “the FBI and ATF are working with state, local and federal partners in this morning’s tragic shooting.”
“I am heartbroken for the families affected by this terrible tragedy. The Department of Justice stands ready to provide resources or support the needs of the Winder community in the coming days,” he said.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) wrote On X that his heart was broken “for the families of the victims and for every student at Apalachi High School. The entire Winder community is in my prayers, but we can’t just pray with our lips – we must pray with action.
A spokeswoman for Kamala Harris’ campaign told The Daily Beast that she is expected to comment on the shooting later today “on top of her remarks at a brewery stop in New Hampshire.”
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