Georgia School Shooting: 14-Year-Old Suspect to be Charged with Murder

A 14-year-old suspect arrested at the scene of a shooting at a high school in Georgia, USA, is expected to be charged with murder. The shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Barrow County, left four people dead and nine injured.

Georgia law enforcement officials say two students and two teachers were killed in the shooting. The suspect, Colt Gray, who attends the school, was arrested by two school officials and will be tried as an adult.

Last May, the FBI investigated Gray after receiving an anonymous tip that a school shooting was imminent, but no arrests were made. Police first received reports of a shooting at the school, which has about 1,900 students, around 10:20 a.m. local time.

Barrow County Sheriff Jude Smith described the incident as “pure evil.” “Police were on scene within minutes of receiving the report, and two officers immediately encountered the suspect at the school,” Sheriff Smith said. “The suspect immediately surrendered and fell to the ground, and school officials arrested him.”

Local authorities said the exact motive had not been determined and that law enforcement did not know “at this time if there was a specific target.” According to the FBI, last May, investigators visited the suspect’s home and interviewed Gray and his father after receiving a tip about threats posted online along with pictures of guns.

Gray, who was 13 at the time, denied posting the threats online, and local authorities said they had “warned nearby schools to continue to monitor the student.” “At that time, there was no basis for making an arrest or taking further legal action at the local, state or federal level.”

Among those killed in the shooting was Mason Schermerhorn (14), a boy with autism. When Schermerhorn was not seen after the incident, his family posted a photo of him on social media and appealed, but it was later confirmed that he died during the shooting.

David Phoenix, a teacher and coach, was shot in the foot and buttocks, shattered his pelvic bone. A woman who identified herself as the victim’s daughter said on Facebook that Phoenix had undergone surgery and is in stable condition.

Police authorities did not disclose the type of weapon used by the suspect or the number of bullets fired. Sheriff Smith said investigators are interviewing the suspect after he is in custody, adding, “It will take several days to get answers as to exactly what happened and why it happened.”

Dozens of police officers quickly responded, locked down the school building, and evacuated students to a nearby soccer stadium, where they were later returned to their families.

Liela Sayaras, a classmate of the alleged shooter, told CNN that the suspect left the classroom before math class began. According to Sayaras, Gray later returned and knocked on the door, which was automatically locked, but another student noticed he had a gun and did not let him in.

Sayarat then explained that the gunman went to the next classroom and started shooting. Alexandra Romero, a second-year student, recalled sitting in class when someone stormed in and yelled at the students to get down.

“I remember my hands shaking,” Romero told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Everyone was crying and everyone was trying to check on their brothers and sisters. It was heartbreaking.”

“The blood, the screams, everything is still vivid.”

Marquis Coleman (14), a boy who attends the school, said he saw the gunman holding a “big gun” just before the shooting began. “I got up and started running and he shot me about 10 times, at least 10 times,” Coleman told the BBC’s US partner CBS News, adding that the teacher “started pulling desks up and barricading the door.”

When Colmer woke up, he said, he saw “a classmate lying on the floor bleeding profusely.” Another girl had been shot in the leg, and Colmer’s friend had been shot in the stomach.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp explained via X (formerly Twitter) that he was “praying for the safety of our students” and was directing “all available state resources” to be deployed.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” at a campaign rally in New Hampshire. “It’s absolutely outrageous that in our country, every day … parents have to worry about whether their children will come home alive when they send them to school.”

“It can’t be like this.”

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, “These precious children were taken from us far too soon by a sick, deranged monster.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice, said federal agents were also helping with the investigation.