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The suspect was a new student and was arrested within minutes

Gillberg
The suspect was a new student and was arrested within minutes

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said when he arrived at Apalachee High School yesterday, he “found a bloodbath.”

“There was blood everywhere. You could smell the gunpowder. Lots of screaming, yelling, a bit of chaos.”

Two security officers were stationed at the school, as well as a sergeant who happened to be present and immediately responded to the suspect. Smith said he “couldn’t be prouder” of those officers, the emergency services, the fire department, and the “heroic” teachers who lost their lives protecting the students.

He said of the first responders: “They secured the building, got children in, put people on tourniquets, and the nine injured are still alive today and they expect to survive,” he said. Most of the injured have already been released from the hospital, but two or three still need further recovery time.

“Our hearts are breaking and we are with the families of the four victims who were killed and murdered. That’s it – a murder. But we are glad that we were able to prevent more,” he said.

He noted that the sheriff’s office conducted a school shooting drill at a local middle school last school year.

“Emotionally, it’s tough because I feel like when Colt Gray came here, he took advantage of the system and thought he was going to get away with it, but he didn’t,” Smith said of the 14-year-old shooting suspect who was new to the school.

The sheriff called the teenager “an evil human being,” adding: “But like I said, love will prevail over what happened and I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens.”

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