CNN: 4 killed, roughly 30 more injured in shooting at Apalachee High School; suspect in custody

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A suspect is in custody and casualties have been reported in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County on Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s office said.

CNN reports four people were killed and approximately 30 more were injured. CNN cited “law enforcement sources” and reported it was not clear how many of those injuries were from gunshot wounds. 

CNN further reports the suspect in custody is “of student age”” though it was not clear if that person attends Apalachee.

NBC News previously reported two people were killed and four others were injured. The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office has not yet released figures on dead or injured.

11Alive has confirmed Grady Hospital in Atlanta received one patient. The status of that patient was not clear. Northeast Georgia Medical Center said one patient was transported to their facility in Winder and one was being taken to their larger hospital in Gainesville.

Students were being released to parents and guardians, around 11:30 a.m., the district told 11Alive. 

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office conducted a press conference a little after 1 p.m. Few new details were available — the exact number of dead and injured, or identifying information about the alleged shooter, were not released in the news conference.

The sheriff’s office said the first call came in at 9:30 a.m. about an active shooter. Students are still being reunified.

“First and foremost we wanna lift up our community, give our sympathies to our community, school system, kids, parents, that had to witness this today,” Sheriff Jud Smith said. “Obviously what you see behind us is an evil thing today.”

The sheriff said it was his hope to conduct another news conference at 4 p.m. He described things as “very active” and “ever-developing.”

Unconfirmed reports have circulated about other schools in the area. 11Alive reporters  The principal of Holsenbeck Elementary said in a Facebook post that all district schools were in a soft lockdown — the principal indicated in a follow-up post at 1:19 p.m. that they had not yet been given the clear to release students.

A release from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said officers from multiple agencies responded at 10:23 a.m. “in reference to a reported active shooting.”

“At the time of this release, one suspect is in custody. Casualties have been reported, however details on the number or their conditions is not available at this time,” the sheriff’s release stated. “This is an ongoing situation.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said on X: “GBI has responded to a shooting @ Apalachee H.S. in Barrow Co.  We have agents on site assisting local, state, & federal law enforcement w/ the investigation.  One suspect in custody.  We urge anyone near the area to stay clear while authorities investigate. More info to follow.”

Gov. Brian Kemp said in a post on X he has “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. We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”

The White House issued a statement: “President Biden has been briefed by his Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, 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 FBI’s Atlanta office also said it was aware of the situation and its agents are on scene.

The school is located on Haymon Morris Road just outside Winder city limits in Barrow County.

Haymon Morris Middle School, Yargo Elementary School and Cadence Academy Preschool are all nearby.

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