The Apalachee High School Shooting: Mason, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, the 14-year-old student killed and the teacher injured
The Apalachee High School shooting is the worst school violence in Georgia’s history, killing two teachers and two students. At least nine others were injured.
The authorities named the students who died as two 14-year-olds, Mason and Christian. The educators killed were identified as Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, officials said. The authorities didn’t confirm the spelling of the names.
Chris Hosey is the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “Those that are in the hospital recovering right now are heroes in my book.”
Mason Schermerhorn was described by friends of his family as a lighthearted teenager who liked spending time with his family, reading, telling jokes, playing video games and visiting Walt Disney World. He had begun working at the school.
“He really enjoyed life,” said Doug Kilburn, 40, a friend who has known Schermerhorn’s mother for a decade. He had a positive attitude about everything.
When Mr. Briscoe learned about the shooting at the high school, he asked the mother if everything was okay. She told him: “Mason’s gone.”
The gunman — who the authorities identified as a 14-year-old student at the school — will be charged with murder, officials said. Students barricaded themselves in classrooms as they heard gunfire.
The math special education teacher was injured during the shooting. He had a shot in his foot and hip and broke his hip bone, according to his daughter.
Apalachee High School: The 25th Year of the School and the War Between Georgians, U.S. Attorney’s Office and Local Law Enforcement
Apalachee High School started its academic year on Aug. 1, according to its online calendar. Near a rural highway that runs between Athens and Atlanta, the school sits on the outskirts of Winder. According to a recent message to parents, this is the 25th year of the school.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to pray for the safety of those in our classrooms,” Gov. Brian Kemp said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said its agents were “on site assisting local, state, & federal law enforcement” who are investigating the violence.
The sheriff said authorities will provide an update at 4 p.m. local time. But he also predicted, “This is gonna take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”
Another local hospital declined to say whether it had any patients from the school, but media outlets in Georgia report at least two other casualties. NPR has reached out to law enforcement agencies for more details.
Smith said they have multiple injuries, but that they weren’t releasing any information.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith spoke with reporters outside the school Wednesday afternoon. Smith said that what you see behind us is an evil thing. He said that at about 9:30 this morning there was a call about an active shooter on the campus.