At least four students are dead and 30 others wounded after a shooter opened fire at a suburban high school in Georgia, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
A law enforcement source told CNN that the suspect was believed to be a 14-year-old boy. It was unclear if he was a student at Apalachee High School in Winder, a city around an hour outside Atlanta.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that nine people had been hospitalized after the shooting, which took place around 9:30 a.m. local time.
“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said at an afternoon news conference.
The sheriff said that authorities had 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. “This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”
Parents arrive to pick up their children after a shooting took place at Apalachee High School.
Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images
David Phenix, a special education teacher and coach at Apalachee High School, was identified as one of the shooting victims by his daughter, Katie Phenix. She said on Facebook that her father had been “shot in the foot and in the hip, shattering his hip bone.
“He arrived to the hospital alert and awake,” she continued. “He just got out of surgery and is stable. We will update as we hear new information. We are so, so lucky, but please keep our family as well as the AHS family in your prayers.”
The fall semester at Apalachee High School began on Aug. 1. The school has roughly 1,800 students across four grades.
The attack marked the deadliest school shooting in state history, according to The New York Times, which 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 of the survivors whose lives are forever changed.
“What should have been a joyous 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 how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
Gov. 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 the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state,” Kemp said.
Law enforcement and first responders respond to Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia
Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images
Attorney General Merrick Garland added that “FBI and ATF are on the scene working with state, local and federal partners,” at “the tragic shooting that occurred this morning.”
“I’m devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. The Justice Department stands ready to provide resources or support the Winder community needs in the days ahead,” he said.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) wrote on X that his heart was broken “for the families of the victims at Apalachee High School & for every student. The entire Winder community is in my prayers, but we can’t pray only with our lips—we must pray by taking action.”
A spokesperson for Kamala Harris’ campaign told The Daily Beast that she is expected to comment on the shooting “at the top of her remarks at the brewery stop in New Hampshire” later today.
