A shooting at a US institute in the state of Georgia caused panic for several hours on Wednesday and left at least four people dead and an as yet unknown number of injured, according to various police agencies and local media. It is the shooting that has caused the highest number of deaths in the history of this state.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirmed that there were four dead and at least nine people seriously injured who had to be hospitalized. Meanwhile, the American television channel CNN pointed out that there were about thirty people injured in total, according to state security sources, figures that have not yet been confirmed by either the GBI or Barro County Sheriff Jud Smith, who said there were “multiple injuries.”
The incident, for which police arrested a suspect, occurred at Apalachee High School in the town of Winder after 10 a.m. local time. The GBI confirmed the arrest and added that at least nine people had been transported to hospitals in a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Barrow County police initially noted in a statement that “details regarding the number (of victims) or their conditions” were not available, and the sheriff provided no further details. “The investigation is ongoing,” Smith added, adding that it will take days to have answers about what happened and why.
In images released by local media, the school can be seen evacuated, with thousands of students outside. Several ambulances and police officers were seen in the area as well as a medical helicopter, which evacuated several people.
The sheriff noted that the process had begun for the students to be reunited with their families and asked that their privacy be respected.
In a message posted to “X,” state Gov. Brian Kemp said he had ordered all available state resources to respond to the incident.
“We will continue to work with local, state and federal partners to gather information and better respond to this situation,” he said.
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting by his national security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, and his administration “will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local officials” as more data is received.
“What should have been a joyous back-to-school moment in Winder, Georgia, has now become another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to destroy our communities,” Biden said in a statement.
“Students across the country are learning to hide and cover instead of learning to read and write,” Biden said. “We can’t continue to accept this as normal.” He added, “Ending this epidemic of gun violence is near and dear to my heart.”
Winder, a community about an hour’s drive from Atlanta, has a population of about 18,338, according to the Census Bureau. CNN reported that the Barrow County school system has about 15,340 students enrolled, including 1,932 at Apalachee High School, where the fatal shooting occurred.
