The Georgia Bureau of Investigation mentioned Wednesday that 4 folks have been killed and at the very least 9 have been injured in a taking pictures at a highschool exterior of Atlanta.
College students scrambled for shelter within the soccer stadium as officers swarmed the campus and fogeys raced to seek out out if their youngsters have been protected.
A suspect was in custody, authorities mentioned.
“What you see behind us is an evil thing,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith mentioned at a quick information convention exterior Apalachee Excessive Faculty. He declined to provide particulars about casualties, or concerning the suspect.
Jacob King, a sophomore soccer participant, mentioned he had dozed off in his world historical past class after a morning follow when he heard about 10 gunshots.
King mentioned he didn’t consider the taking pictures was actual till he heard an officer yelling at somebody to place down their gun. King mentioned when his class was led out, he noticed officers shielding what seemed to be an injured scholar.
Ashley Enoh was at residence Wednesday morning when she bought a textual content from her brother, who’s a senior at Apalachee Excessive Faculty:
“Simply so you understand, I like you,” he texted her.
When she requested within the household group chat what was occurring, he mentioned there was a shooter on the college. Enoh’s youthful sister, a junior on the college, mentioned she had heard concerning the shooter and that every little thing was on lockdown.
Few particulars have been instantly accessible from authorities, who have been dispatched shortly earlier than 10:30 a.m. to answer an “active shooting,” the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in an announcement.
“Casualties have been reported, however details on the number or their conditions is not available at this time,” the assertion added.
Helicopter video from WSB-TV confirmed dozens of legislation enforcement and emergency autos surrounding the varsity in Barrow County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.
When Erin Clark, 42, obtained a textual content from her son Ethan, a senior at the highschool, that there was an lively shooter, she rushed from her job on the Amazon warehouse to the varsity. The 2 texted “I love you,” and Clark mentioned she prayed for her son as she drove to the highschool.
With the primary highway blocked to the varsity, Clark parked and ran with different dad and mom. Dad and mom have been then directed to the soccer area. Amid the chaos, Clark discovered Ethan sitting on the bleachers.
Clark mentioned her son was writing an essay in school when he first heard the gunshots. Her son then labored along with his classmates to barricade the door and conceal.
“I’m so proud of him for doing that,” she mentioned. “He was so brave.”
College students had solely began the varsity 12 months a little bit over a month in the past earlier than the taking pictures Wednesday.
“It makes me scared to send him back,” she mentioned. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Visitors going to the varsity was backed up for greater than a mile as dad and mom tried to get to their youngsters there.
“I’ve directed all accessible state assets to answer the incident at Apalachee Excessive Faculty and urge all Georgians to hitch my household in praying for the security of these in our lecture rooms, each in Barrow County and throughout the state,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp mentioned in an announcement.
“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation,” Kemp added.
In an announcement, the FBI’s Atlanta workplace mentioned: “FBI Atlanta is aware of the current situation at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. Our agents are on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”
The White Home mentioned President Joe Biden has been briefed by his Homeland Safety Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, concerning the taking pictures and the administration will coordinate with federal, state, and native officers because it receives extra data.
Apalachee Excessive Faculty has about 1,900 college students, in keeping with data from Georgia schooling officers. It turned Barrow County’s second largest public highschool when it opened in 2000, in keeping with the Barrow County Faculty System. It’s named after the Apalachee River on the southern fringe of Barrow County.
The taking pictures had reverberations in Atlanta, the place patrols of faculties in that metropolis have been beefed up, authorities mentioned. Extra patrols of Atlanta faculties can be performed “for the rest of the day out of an abundance of caution,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens mentioned.
