Author: David K. Li, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst and Melissa Chan (NBC News)
(NBC News) – At least four people were killed and nine others were wounded in a school shooting an hour outside of Atlanta on Wednesday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
One suspect was alive and taken into custody following the gunfire at Apalachee High School, officials said.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith confirmed there were “multiple injuries” at a news conference. He declined to provide more information, saying it would take “multiple days” to determine what happened.
“Every minute, it’s developing on what we’re finding,” he said.
Smith said authorities were working to reunite students with their parents after an “evil thing” occurred at the school.
The first call reporting an “active shooter” at Apalachee High School came around 9:30 a.m., Smith said. Deputies and emergency medical personnel rushed to the school at about 10:23 a.m., the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
All campuses of Barrow County Schools, based in Winder, Georgia, went into a “soft lockdown” with most of the activity centered around Apalachee H.S. where police cars, fire trucks and ambulances had all converged.
Students could be seen being directed to the school’s football stadium.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and 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,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in statement.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said he was mourning those who were killed, as he pushed Congress to pass gun safety legislation.
“What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart,” Biden said.
“Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write,” he added. “We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was “devastated” for the affected families and said the Justice Department was ready to provide support.
Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta confirmed that it was treating one gunshot victim.
School has been in session at Apalachee H.S. since Aug. 1.
The school is Barrow County’s second high school, according to its website, and opened in 2000.
FBI agents from Atlanta were dispatched to the scene to assist local authorities, officials said.
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