On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy fatally shot two students and two teachers, and injured nine others at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. This incident marks the first mass school shooting of the new academic year in the U.S.
The suspect, identified as Colt Gray, was previously questioned by law enforcement last year over online threats of a school shooting. He was apprehended shortly after the shooting and is being charged and tried as an adult, according to Chris Hosey of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Read more: Two Children Killed, Five Injured in School Van Shooting in Attock
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith reported that Gray, armed with a semiautomatic rifle, surrendered immediately when confronted by school deputies. He has been cooperating with investigators, who believe he acted alone but have not yet disclosed his motives.
The victims include two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. The nine injured individuals are expected to recover, Smith confirmed.
The FBI revealed it had previously investigated threats related to a school shooting in 2023, involving a 13-year-old and his father in nearby Jackson County. The father had hunting guns at home, but the teen did not have unsupervised access. No arrest was made due to insufficient evidence.
The shooting has sparked a renewed national debate on gun control and an outpouring of grief. In Winder, a city of 18,000 located about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, residents gathered for a prayer vigil, lighting candles and supporting each other. City councilman Power Evans emphasized community unity, saying, “When something affects one of us, it affects us all. We’re all family. We’re all neighbors.”
Biden Urges the Passage of Gun Safety Laws
The White House announced that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting and that his administration will continue to work with federal, state, and local officials as more information becomes available. In a statement, Biden expressed his condolences for the lives lost to the “senseless gun violence” and urged Republicans to collaborate with Democrats to pass “common-sense gun safety legislation.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, described the shooting as a “senseless tragedy” and called for an end to the ongoing epidemic of gun violence during a campaign event in New Hampshire.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, expressed his sympathy on social media, saying, “Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA. These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”
Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp responded to questions about preventing future shootings by stating, “Today is not the day for politics or policy. Today is the day for an investigation, to mourn these precious Georgians that we have lost.”
According to David Riedman, who manages the K-12 School Shooting Database, this shooting was the first planned attack at a school this fall. Students at Apalachee High School returned last month, and many other U.S. students are returning to school this week.
The U.S. has experienced numerous school shootings over the past two decades, including the deadliest at Virginia Tech in 2007, which resulted in over 30 deaths. These incidents have fueled the ongoing debate over gun laws and the Second Amendment, which protects the right to “keep and bear arms.”
