Washington:
A gunman opened fire at a high school in Georgia, leaving at least four people dead. Police and emergency services rushed to the school, the surrounding area was placed under “heavy lockdown” and the suspect, a 14-year-old boy, has now been arrested.
Local reports said several people were injured and at least one person was evacuated by a helicopter rescue.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said it responded to a “active shooter” at the high school.
“At approximately 10:23 a.m., officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and fire and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the high school on a report of a shooting,” the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Students were evacuated from the shooting scene and several were seen gathering in a plaza near the school. The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that a suspect was in custody.
The shooter inside Apalachee High School is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, a law enforcement source told CNN, adding that it was not yet known if the boy attended the school.
CNN also confirmed that at least four people were killed in today’s shooting. In addition to the four dead, the report said that at least a dozen more were injured. It also said that not all of the injuries were caused by gunfire. Some were injured while trying to hide or flee the scene.
Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, sent a message to parents saying the school was “currently on strict lockdown” after reports of gunfire.
The school is located in the town of Winder, about 45 miles (70 km) northeast of the state capital, Atlanta.
#HappeningNow Shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. Injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/t4xgv8Ibaq
— DAP (check blue here) (@Deetroit_Dave) September 4, 2024
“Investigators are on scene assisting local, state and federal law enforcement with the investigation. One suspect is in custody,” the GBI said in a social media post.
“Police have arrived and please do not come to school at this time as officers are working to secure the area,” it added.
ABC News quoted witness Sergio Caldera, a student, as saying he was in chemistry class when he heard gunfire. Caldera, 17, told ABC that when his teacher opened the door, another teacher came in and told him to close the door because “there was a shooter.”
Students and teachers were gathered in their classroom when someone banged on the classroom door and repeatedly yelled for them to open up. When the knocking stopped, Caldera heard more gunshots and screams. Caldera’s class then took refuge on the school’s football field, according to Reuters.
“What we see behind us today is evil,” Sheriff Jud Smith said at a brief news conference on the school grounds.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on social media site X that state authorities were responding to the incident.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and that “the administration will continue to work with federal, state and local authorities as more information becomes available.”
The United States has seen hundreds of mass shootings at schools and universities over the past two decades, the deadliest of which was at Virginia Tech in 2007, leaving more than 30 people dead. The massacre sparked a fierce debate over America’s gun laws and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides for the right to “keep and bear arms.”
(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)