These are the 2 students and 2 teachers killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia

Updated September 5, 2024 at 3:23 p.m. ET

The four victims of Wednesday’s school shooting in Winder, Georgia, were crucial to the fabric of a high school. Some taught math and football. Others dreamed of what they would do one day as adults. All of those who lost their lives in the attack on Apalachee High School were loved by their families and their community.

The violence occurred shortly after the school had completed the first month of the new school year. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the dead as students Christian Angulo (14) and Mason Schermerhorn (14) and teachers Richard Aspinwall (39) and Christina Irimie (53).

At least nine other people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. The suspected murderer, a 14-year-old, was arrested at the school. He had previously examined by federal and local authorities for “online threats to commit a school shooting,” according to the FBI.

Here is what we know about the four deceased victims:

Mason Schermerhorn

Mason had only started high school last month. Photos of him show a smiling young man with glasses. On a fundraising page, his sister remembers him as a teenager who was funny and loved to tell jokes.

“Family members described Mason as someone who was always positive and always saw the bright side of things. One of his favorite hobbies was playing video games on his PS5 and VR headset,” according to Atlanta TV Fox 5.

Christian Angulo

Like Mason, Christian was a freshman at Apalachee.

“He was a very good boy, very kind and caring. Many people loved him,” said his eldest sister Lisette, when she GoFundMe page for pay for her younger brother’s funeral.

“We are deeply heartbroken,” she added, saying that while donations would help cover the costs of his funeral, “we would also appreciate any prayers during this time.”

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Apalachee High School

Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall

Aspinwall was a math teacher and also coached the football team at Apalachee. He and his wife, Shayna, previously taught together at Mountain View High School. The couple have two young daughters.

Aspinwall’s friends and colleagues mourn the loss of a popular and respected coach who specialized in defense. His former players describe him as a role model who was very interested in their future.

“He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He pushed me to achieve high goals through his faith in me,” said Marquel Broughton, one of his former players at Mountain View, who Gwinnett Daily Post“His love was real and his heart was pure. His legacy will live on forever in those he touched. Coach A will forever be known as a hero.”

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Apalachee High School

Christina Irimie

Irimie, a math teacher at Apalachee High School, was beloved by many and cared deeply for her students. Her loss is especially heartbreaking for Gabrielle Buth, one of her good friends.

Irimie’s birthday was just August 24, and to celebrate, she baked a cake and brought pizza for her class on the anniversary of her death, “so she could celebrate with her children,” Buth said. That was just the kind of person Irimie was, she said.

Irimie was born in Romania and still has family there, including a brother – who is now to tell her mother, who had emergency surgery last weekend, that her daughter had died, Buth said.

“The investigation is currently ongoing and we realize many of our questions may never be answered, but we want the world to know what a beautiful soul she was and how dedicated she was to her students,” Buth wrote of her friend in a message to NPR. “She was so joyful and full of life. She would always answer the phone (in Romanian) – ‘Hello, my love,’ I can still hear her – ‘Da Iubita.’ Christina was a person who made you feel welcome and important, and she was so, SO funny. Just full of life.”

Irimie experienced her calling to become a teacher several years ago, says Buth.

“When she decided to go back to school to become a teacher years ago, we asked her why and she said she felt deep in her soul a calling to teach and care for children. Christina and her husband were unable to have biological children of their own, so she decided to turn around and love her students as her own,” she said.

Irimie maintained close ties to the Romanian community and was particularly integrated into Atlanta’s Romanian Orthodox community, Buth said. She was even a traditional Romanian folk dancer, she added.

Her husband Dorin, with whom Irimie “loved” dancing, “cannot understand why something like this happened to his love,” said Buth.

Copyright: NPR