Four people were killed and nine seriously injured in a massacre at a high school in the US state of Georgia, local authorities announced on Wednesday, September 4. “Four people have died. Nine more people have been sent to various hospitals with injuries. The suspect is in custody and alive.”they said in a post on social media.
Numerous emergency vehicles and a large police force were dispatched to the scene at Apalachee High School in the town of Winder, about 70 kilometers northeast of Atlanta. According to CNN, the shooter was a 14-year-old teenager.
“We cannot accept this becoming the norm”President Joe Biden said in a statement, once again calling for a ban on assault rifles. “I am devastated for the families affected by this terrible tragedy.”US Attorney General Merrik Garland said at a press conference, without mentioning the results. President Joe Biden is being kept informed of developments, the White House said.
Student confinement and loud screams
The school was initially placed on lockdown, Fox 5 Atlanta said. The injured were treated on-site by first responders, the channel said, using helicopter footage. Students were then evacuated from the school or grouped together on the grounds of a sports field, according to other aerial images broadcast by media outlets.
Local, state and federal police officers are on the job, authorities said. “My teacher opened the door [de la classe] to see what was going on. Then another teacher came running and told him to close the door because there was a shooter.”said 17-year-old student Sergio Caldera, quoted by ABC. With the door closed, he and his classmates took refuge in the back of the room, where they heard screams coming from outside.
The United States is the only developed country in the world that is periodically affected by school shootings, a scourge fostered by the proliferation of individual weapons. In May 2022, 19 children and two teachers were victims of a horrific massacre at their school in Uvalde, Texas, committed by an 18-year-old using a legally purchased assault rifle.
US President Joe Biden continues to denounce the” epidemic “ gun violence and regularly urges Congress to act.
