By Joe Johnson
A 14-year-old boy killed two schoolmates and two teachers during a mass shooting Wednesday morning at Apalachee High School in Winder in which nine other victims were injured.
Colt Gray reportedly laid down his AR-15 assault rifle and surrendered immediately upon being confronted by the school’s resource officer.
A freshman at the school, Gray has been charged with murder and will be prosecuted as an adult, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey at a late afternoon press conference on the school campus.
Among officials gathered with the GBI director was visibly-emotional Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, who said that what motivated the teen was unknown.
Smith needed to pause for an extended beat before talking about his love for the school system that he had attended as a child.
“I never imagined that I would be speaking to the media in my career about something like the pure evil that happened here today,” the sheriff said.
“My heart hurts for these kids, my heart hurts for our county, but I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this community. Love will prevail over what happened here today,” Smith said.
The GBI identified the students who were killed as
Mason Shermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14 years old.
The teachers who died were identified as Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, who taught math and was a football coach.
Barrow County schools Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said all schools in the system will close for the remainder of the week. However, the central office will remain open and grief counseling provided to any student who seeks it.
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