Four dead and nine injured after shooting at Georgia high school

ATLANTA – Four people were killed and nine others were taken to various hospitals after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday afternoon.

One person is in custody, the state authority confirmed.

Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith said early Wednesday afternoon that the investigation was being updated “every minute.” Federal and state authorities were assisting with the investigation.

“First and foremost, I want to support our community,” Smith said. “I want to express our condolences to our community, our school system, our children and our parents who had to witness this today.”

Multiple police agencies responded to the school around 10:20 a.m., which had been cordoned off after reports of a shooting, the Barrow Sheriff’s Office said.

At 10:23 a.m., eleventh-grader Henry van der Walt texted his mother: “I think there’s a shooting at the school.”

Minutes later, Becky van der Walt received another message.

“I love you,” Henry wrote.

The text exchange was repeated probably hundreds of times during several chaotic hours for students and parents. The students were led outside of the school, where the parents immediately followed them.

While details were slow to emerge throughout the day, the sheriff said he expected more information later Wednesday.

“It will take several days before we get answers,” he said during a press conference near the school shortly after 1 p.m.

Barrow Coroner Kenneth Cooper said early Wednesday afternoon that he could not confirm information about the fatalities.

One gunshot victim was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, the hospital confirmed Wednesday afternoon. Two other victims were taken to regional hospitals in Barrow and Gainesville, according to the Northeast Georgia Medical System. The Barrow hospital also treated several who were suffering from anxiety or panic attacks.

Footage from WSB-TV’s NewsChopper 2 showed large crowds of students streaming into the high school’s stadium during curfew. Several ambulances were also on the scene. By late morning, students were released to their families and school officials said buses would be running for those who needed to be taken home.

Desperate parents rushed to the school. Many were forced to park and walk to the school grounds in search of their children.

Alexsandra Romero, a sophomore at Apalachee University, said she was in the second period of her class when another student burst in and yelled for everyone to lie down.

“I didn’t text my family at first because I thought it was just a drill,” Romero told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Because the school had prepared for this scenario, Romero said she and her classmates knew what to do.

“I remember my hands were shaking,” Romero said. “I felt bad because everyone was crying and trying to find their siblings.”

Romero said she saw blood and weapons on the ground as she was led out of the building.

“I can still imagine it all, the blood, the screaming and everything,” Romero said.

Apalachee High was the only school able to close classes on Wednesday afternoon. Other schools in Barrow County remain in a soft lockdown “for everyone’s safety at this time,” the school district said.

According to the White House, President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and his administration planned to coordinate with federal, state and local authorities. Gov. Brian Kemp said he had directed all available state resources to assist at the high school, which is about 8 miles east of Dacula, southwest of Winder.

“I 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,” Kemp added. “We will continue to work with local, state and federal partners as we gather information and continue to respond to this situation.”

FBI Atlanta said it was aware of the shooting and that agents were on the scene to coordinate and assist local authorities. GBI agents also assisted and the state agency urged everyone to stay away from the area.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, Apalachee High School had just over 1,900 students enrolled in March. The department said it was also monitoring the situation.

“I am devastated by the news of the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School today,” Richard Woods, the state’s schools superintendent, said in a statement. “My heart and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those affected and the entire Barrow County community. This is an unimaginable loss for Barrow and for our entire educational community across the state.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also issued a statement following the shooting.

“My prayers are with the high school students, staff and families affected by the senseless act of violence in Winder, Georgia,” he said. “I have been in contact with Police Chief (Darin) Schierbaum, and the Atlanta Police Department is working with the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department to increase patrols around our schools for the remainder of the day out of an abundance of caution.”

“APD is also on standby should law enforcement need assistance with this incident. May God comfort the victims and their families in the difficult days ahead.”

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(Journal-Constitution editors Lexi Baker and Henri Hollis contributed to this article.)