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Jimmy Williams
A shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, left four people dead and nine others injured on Wednesday morning, authorities have confirmed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that one suspect had been taken into custody alive, refuting earlier reports suggesting the suspect had been “neutralized.” Neither the suspect nor the victims have been identified at this time.
“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith during a news conference held on the school grounds Wednesday afternoon. Sheriff Smith confirmed that there were multiple injuries but did not provide details about the conditions of those injured, stating that “this is a very, very fluid investigation.” Smith added, “This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”
While specific details about the victims’ conditions have not been immediately released, a spokesperson for Grady Health System, which operates Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, confirmed that their hospital had received at least one gunshot wound victim from the school.
The tragic incident prompted a swift response from law enforcement. Officers were dispatched to Apalachee High School around 10:23 a.m. EDT after reports of a possible active shooter surfaced online. The school, located approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, was quickly placed on lockdown, with students and staff sheltering in place. According to authorities, the school premises were cleared within an hour, and students were subsequently released to their families.
Footage captured by local CBS affiliate WANF showed a heavy police presence at the scene, with ambulances, officers, and a medical helicopter gathering in the school’s parking lot. Aerial images depicted students being evacuated to the school’s stadium, where buses awaited to transport them to safety. By 11 a.m., at least one injured individual had been transferred to the medical helicopter on a stretcher.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was called to assist with the investigation. In a statement posted to social media shortly before noon, FBI Atlanta said they were “coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also responded to the tragedy in a social media statement released around the same time, confirming that state resources were being deployed to assist with the response. “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,” Kemp said. “We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting by his Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, according to a statement from the White House Press Office. “President Biden has been briefed…on the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, and his administration will continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials as we receive more information,” the statement read.
With approximately 1,900 students enrolled, Apalachee High School serves the northern Georgia community, where classes typically begin at 8:15 a.m. each day. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and authorities expect it will take several days to gather more details about the tragic event.
