An elementary student was shot and killed by two 14-year-olds at a high school in Barrow County, Ga., on Wednesday
Police agencies rushed to Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Ga., on Wednesday after a shooting was reported. A suspect is in custody, officials said.
The students who died were identified as 14-year-olds, Mason and Christian. The educators killed were identified as Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. The names were not confirmed by the authorities.
“Those that are deceased are heroes in my book,” said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “Those that are in the hospital recovering right now are heroes in my book.”
Friends of the family said that Mason was a fun teenager who loved spending time with his family, playing games and visiting Disney World. He had recently started at the school.
“He really enjoyed life,” said Doug Kilburn, 40, a friend who has known Schermerhorn’s mother for a decade. “He always had an upbeat attitude about everything.”
When Mr. Briscoe learned about the shooting at the high school in the afternoon, he called Schermerhorn’s mother to ask if everything was OK. She told him that Mason was gone.
The student who shot and killed a teacher at the school will be charged with murder, officials said. Students heard gunfire as they barricaded themselves in classrooms.
David Phenix is a math special education teacher and the school’s golf coach. Katie Phenix, his daughter, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he was shot in the foot and hip, shattering his hip bone.
The Apalachee High School Incident in Winder, Georgia, Oct. 1, 2006: A Ground-Stokes Event and a Search for an Active Shooter
The online calendar for Apalachee High School shows that school started on August 1. A rural highway that runs between Athens and Atlanta intersects with the school’s campus in Winder, Ga. A recent message to parents says the school has been in existence for 25 years.
“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 the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state,” Gov. Brian Kemp said.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents were at the scene assisting local, state and federal law enforcement in their investigations.
The sheriff said authorities will give an update later in the day. He predicted that it would take multiple days for us to find out what happened and why.
Another local hospital declined to say whether it had any patients from the school, but media outlets in Georgia report at least two other casualties. In order to get more information, NPR reached out to law enforcement agencies.
Smith said that the process so far was a very, very fluid one and that there were multiple injuries.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith spoke with reporters outside the school Wednesday afternoon. “Obviously what you see behind us is an evil thing today,” Smith said. “At about 9:30 this morning, we received the first call that there was an active shooter” on the campus, he added.
