On Wednesday, September 4th, two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School died and nine were severely injured in a shooting. The suspected gunman was quickly identified as a fourteen-year-old boy, Colt Gray.
Student Lyela Sayarath said Gray left her class at the beginning and did not return until the end, knocking on the door to be let in. As Lyela went to open the door, she saw that Gray had a gun on him and refused to open it. Gray then went to a nearby classroom and opened fire on the teachers and students inside. The Sheriff’s Department received the first reports of the shooting around 10:20 a.m., and officers arrived on the scene shortly after. A resource officer confronted the shooter, and Gray soon surrendered. There were no reports of a second round of fire or second attack.
Two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, were killed. Eight students and one teacher were hospitalized with severe wounds, and all are expected to survive. Before the 2024 attack, Gray was questioned by law enforcement in 2023 regarding anonymous tips that he posted online threats about committing a mass shooting, however, he was released because of a lack of evidence. Gray is facing four counts of felony murder and will be tried as an adult, making him eligible for life imprisonment. His father has also been arrested because of a connection to the shooting. He is thought to have known about his son carrying an AR-15 rifle to school, and he is being charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
As a result of the shooting, Georgia lawmakers are calling for new gun safety and mental health measures to be put in place to stop the spread of mass school shootings and violence. This was the 45th American school shooting this year and by far the deadliest one. A new wave of threats has come in against schools across the nation following the events in Winder, Georgia. Most of these threats were not followed through and were dismissed by police, but still, they raised hard questions for school administrators and staff on their policies surrounding school shootings and violence. Police are beginning to investigate and arrest youth for these threats. Volusia County, Florida, and Harrisonburg, Virginia have already arrested teenagers in local areas for school shooting threats. Georgia officials are currently looking into implementing new measures such as an increased number of security officers and silent panic alarm buttons that automatically dial 911 in school districts.
Students attending Apalachee High School will be returning to school on September 24th, gradually easing back into school life with half-days until mid-October. Campus security has increased drastically and school counselors and therapy dogs will be available for students. The transition process back to “normal” will be long for these students, but the conversation about gun violence and mass shootings is being pushed forward in schools and by lawmakers. As Georgia State Superintendent of Schools, Richard Woods says, “It is crucial that we redouble our efforts to secure our schools and protect every student in our state.”
