Winter, Ga. (AP) — An unknown variety of individuals have been injured in a capturing at a Georgia highschool Wednesday and a suspect was arrested in a chaotic scene that noticed officers swarming the campus and college students taking cowl on the soccer discipline.
A suspect is in custody, the Barrow County Sheriff's Workplace stated in a press release.
Shortly earlier than 10:30 a.m., “officers from a number of legislation enforcement businesses and hearth/EMS personnel have been dispatched to the highschool for a report of an energetic shooter,” a sheriff's workplace assertion stated.
Casualties have been reported, though particulars on the quantity or their circumstances will not be at the moment accessible, the assertion added.
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College students are evacuated to the soccer discipline at Apalachee Excessive Faculty in Winter, Ga., Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, after the varsity went into lockdown. (Erin Clarke by way of AP) -
College students are evacuated to the soccer discipline at Apalachee Excessive Faculty in Winter, Ga., Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, after the varsity went into lockdown. (Erin Clarke by way of AP) -
Regulation enforcement officers arrive as college students are evacuated to the soccer discipline after the varsity went into lockdown at Apalachee Excessive Faculty in Winter, Ga., Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Erin Clarke by way of AP)
Helicopter video from WSB-TV confirmed dozens of legislation enforcement and emergency autos surrounding Apalachee Excessive Faculty in Barrow County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.
Erin Clark, 42, rushed to high school from her job at an Amazon warehouse when she acquired a textual content message from her son Ethan, a highschool senior, that there was an energetic shooter. The 2 texted “I like you,” and Clark stated she prayed for her son on the drive to the highschool.
With the primary street resulting in the varsity blocked, Clark stopped the car and ran with different dad and mom. Then the dad and mom have been despatched to the soccer discipline. Amidst the chaos, Clark finds Ethan sitting within the bleachers.
Clark stated her son was writing a paper in school when he first heard the gunshots. Her son, alongside along with his classmates, barricaded the door and labored to cover.
“I'm very pleased with him for what he did,” she stated. “He was very courageous.”
College students began the varsity yr a month earlier than Wednesday's capturing.
“I'm afraid to ship him again,” she stated. “I don't know what I'm going to do.”
Site visitors to the varsity was backed up for greater than a mile as dad and mom tried to get their kids there.
“I’ve directed all state assets to reply to the incident at Apalachee Excessive Faculty, and I’m asking all Georgians to affix my household in praying for the security of these in our lecture rooms in Barrow County and throughout the state,” stated Georgia Governor Brian. Kemp stated in a press release.
“We’ll proceed to work with native, state and federal companions as we collect data and additional reply to this example,” Kemp added.
In a press release, the FBI's Atlanta workplace stated: “FBI Atlanta is conscious of the present state of affairs at Apalachee Excessive Faculty in Barrow County. Our brokers are coordinating and supporting native legislation enforcement.
The White Home stated President Joe Biden had been briefed on the capturing by his homeland safety adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, and that the administration would coordinate with federal, state and native authorities as extra data turns into accessible.
Calls and messages to the Barrow County Sheriff's Workplace and the varsity weren’t instantly returned.
Apalachee Excessive Faculty has about 1,900 college students, in keeping with data from Georgia training officers. It grew to become the second largest public highschool in Barrow County when it opened in 2000, in keeping with the Barrow County Faculty System. It’s named after the Apalachee River on the southern fringe of Barrow County.
The capturing reverberated in Atlanta, the place patrols of colleges within the metropolis have been stepped up, officers stated. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens stated the additional patrols of Atlanta colleges “shall be executed out of an abundance of warning all through the day.”