Published Date
20 Sep 2024
Category
Education
Georgia high school shooting: Authorities identify 2 teachers, 2 students as victims killed
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director (GBI) Chris Hosey said two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed during the shooting.
Mason Schermerhorn
Schermerhorn, who was autistic, was believed to have wandered away from the school after dismissal, according to Channel2Now.
Friends of Schermerhorn's mother told the New York Times that he was known for having an "upbeat attitude about everything." He was lighthearted and enjoyed reading and video games, the people told the outlet.
Mason Schermerhorn, 14, was killed in a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. (Fox News)
Richard Aspinwall
One of the faculty victims, Aspinwall, was also football coach at the school.
"Coach Aspinwell was one of the most kindhearted teachers I have ever met. He always made it known that if I needed help with anything he was there," a student wrote in a tribute on Instagram.
"He was so funny, talked about his wife and kids with pride and showed all of his students that he cared for them," the post continued.
Richard Aspinwall, a math teacher and assistant football coach, was killed in a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. (Fox News)
Richard Aspinwall, a math teacher and assistant football coach, was killed in a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. (Fox News)
Christian Angulo
Christian Angulo, 14, was also killed. Fox 5 Atlanta reported that his schoolmates described him as funny and enjoyable to be around. One student who said he was longtime friends of Angulo said he was "in denial"
Lisette Angulo identified herself as Christian's elder sister on a GoFundMe page that has raised over $50,000 for his funeral.
"He was a very good kid and very sweet and so caring. He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected. We are truly heartbroken. He really didn’t deserve this," she wrote on the site.
Christian Angulo, 14, was killed in a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. (Fox News)
Christina Irimie
Math teacher Christina Irimie was also named as one of the fatalities. Her students described her as patient and caring, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Math teacher Christina Irimie was killed in a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. (Fox News)
An AR platform-style weapon was used in the shooting, Hosey said.
"As a follow to the Joint Statement just released, the subject referred to as the 13-year-old is the same subject in custody related to today's shootings at Apalachee High School," the FBI said.
Investigators are still trying to determine if anyone was specially targeted, but they were not aware of any known connections between Gray and the victims.
"Within minutes, law enforcement was on scene as well as two school resource officers assigned here to the school," Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Gray will be charged with murder and prosecuted as an adult, according to Smith.
Authorities said there is no evidence to support that any additional shooter was involved in the shooting and investigators are actively pursuing leads from any potential associates of the shooter.
People leave Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
In a joint statement, the FBI's Atlanta field office and Jackson County Sheriff's Office said the agency's National Threat Operations Center received an anonymous tip about threats posted online regarding a possible school shooting in May 2023.
Within 24 hours of receiving the anonymous tip, investigators determined the threats originated in Georgia and the matter was referred to the sheriff’s office.
"The Jackson County Sheriffs’ Office located a possible subject, a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father," the FBI said. "The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them."
The agencies said the boy denied making the threats and authorities alerted local schools to monitor the child.
"At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state, or federal levels," the FBI said.
Gray is being booked and is currently being held at the Barrow County Detention center.
The remaining shooting victims are expected to recover and the Barrow County Sheriff says they don't expect any more fatalities at this time.
Fox News' Gabriele Regalbuto, Louis Casiano and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.
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