At Least 4 Killed, 30 Injured In Shooting At Apalachee High School In Georgia

One person is in custody after multiple law enforcement agencies responded to reports of a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia , on Wednesday.

A source at a nearby hospital told CNN that patients with gunshot wounds had been transferred there for care. Sources told CNN that at least four people were killed and around 30 more injured, although it’s unclear how many of the injuries are from gunshots.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said nine of those injured have been transported to various hospitals.

Video from a helicopter operated by Atlanta News First showed at least one person being airlifted from the scene, with multiple other ambulances in the vicinity. Officials told the outlet that the person being airlifted had been taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, a level 1 trauma center in Atlanta.

Law enforcement arrives after a shooting was reported at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024.

Ciera Roberts, a spokesperson for Barrow County Schools, told HuffPost that all of its schools district-wide are on a soft lockdown and asked parents not to attempt to pick up their children until further notice.

At this time, only parents with children at the high school have been “cleared for reunification.” Approximately 1,900 students attend the school.

Students at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, are evacuated to the football stadium after the school campus was placed on lockdown due to a shooting on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters at a mid-morning press conference that there have been “multiple injuries,” but declined to elaborate, calling the situation “very fluid” and “very early.”

“We do have a suspect in custody and we are asking for your patience as the media to please let us get the facts we need to make sure we get this right,” he said. “This is going to take multiple days to get answers as to why this happened.”

Smith pledged to provide more information at a press conference tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a separate news conference that the Justice Department will readily provide whatever resources local and state law enforcement partners require.

“I’m devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy,” he said.

Approximately 1,900 students attend Apalachee High School in Georgia.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said that he’d directed “all available state resources” to the school and was “praying for the safety of those in our classrooms.”

“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the shooting at the top of a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, calling on Congress to recognize that “this is not normal” and to take long-overdue action.

She said that includes universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring the safe storage of firearms, investing in violence-prevention programs and passing a national red-flag law.

“Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write,” President Joe Biden said in a written statement. “We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris echoed that sentiment while speaking at a rally in New Hampshire, telling the crowd that America shouldn’t have to accept school shootings as normal.

“Our kids are sitting in a classroom where they should be fulfilling their God-given potential, and some part of their big, beautiful brain is concerned about a shooter busting through the door of the classroom,” the vice president said. “It does not have to be this way. It does not have to be this way.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called the shooting a “tragic event” on social media .

“Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” he posted, calling the shooter a “sick and deranged monster.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.