A suspected gunman who was taken into custody after allegedly opening fire at a Georgia high school on Wednesday is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Four people were killed and at least nine others were injured in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, an hour outside of Atlanta, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
It is not yet known whether or not the teenager, who has not been named, attended the school.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said the investigation into the shooting is “very, very fluid” and still in the early stages.
“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” he added. Smith said he hoped to have updates later this afternoon.
The high school was put on lockdown but has since been “cleared for dismissal” while all other Barrow County Schools are on a “soft lockdown,” the Barrow County School District said.
Sergio Caldera, a 17-year-old senior at the school, told ABC News he was in chemistry class when gunshots rang out.
“My teacher goes and opens the door to see what’s going on,” Caldera said. “Another teacher comes running in and tells her to close the door because there’s an active shooter.”
Caldera said someone banged on their classroom door and shouted “open up” several times. Afterward, he heard more gunfire and screaming.
A distraught parent posted about the shooting on Facebook, calling it “a parent’s worst nightmare.”
“Kennedy is shaken up but she is ok. To hear my baby crying and saying she is scared, I felt helpless because I could not get to her,” LaTanja Baynes Momon wrote.
“The shooting happened very close to her classroom. So close that she heard the gun shots. We are trying to get her now, but as you can imagine, there are so many people trying to do the same. Keep my baby and Apalachee High School in your prayers.”
Special agents with FBI Atlanta have responded to Apalachee High School in order to assist local law enforcement, and posted on X that it is aware of the situation and “agents are on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said his “prayers are with the high school students, staff and families affected by the senseless act of violence.”
“I have been in contact with Chief Schierbaum, and the Atlanta Police Department has been working with the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department to bolster patrols around our schools for the rest of the day out of an abundance of caution,” Dickens said.
“APD has also been on standby in case law enforcement agencies need assistance with this incident. May God comfort the victims and their loved ones in the difficult days ahead.”
Apalachee High School has about 1,900 students, according to records from Georgia education officials. It became Barrow County’s second largest public high school when it opened in 2000, according to the Barrow County School System. It’s named after the Apalachee River on the southern edge of Barrow County.
This is developing story. Check back for updates.
