THE STORY
Two students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced.
The suspect was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at Apalachee High School. GBI officials say Gray surrendered within minutes and and was taken into custody. GBI Director Chris Hosey said the teen would be charged with murder and tried as an adult.
At a news conference, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said a motive was unclear and may never be known.
“He gave up, got on the ground and the deputy took him into custody,” Smith said. “I don’t know why it happened. I may not ever know. We may not ever know.”
Smith said authorities do not yet know how the shooter obtained the firearm and how he brought it into the school.
GOING IN DEPTH
The first call reporting an “active shooter” came in around 10:30 a.m., Smith said. Hosey said law enforcement officers and two school officers responded to the scene within minutes.
“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 in statement.
President Joe Biden mourned the lives lost and called on Congress to pass gun regulation reform to prevent more school shootings from happening again.
“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,” Biden said in a statement.
“Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write,” he added. “We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
