Washington: Tragedy struck a school in the US State of Georgia when a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Apalachee High School on Wednesday, killing two fellow students and two teachers while wounding nine others in the first mass campus shooting since the beginning of the school year in the US. The suspect was taken in custody shortly after the shooting, according to investigators.
The shooter was identified as Colt Gray, 14, and will be charged and tried as an adult, said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Authorities said he was armed with an "AR platform style weapon" and was quickly confronted by deputies, after which he immediately got on the ground and surrendered.
Reacting to the incident, US President Joe Biden said he and his wife mourned the deaths of the four killed due to "senseless gun violence" and that the incident was another reminder of how "gun violence continues to tear our communities apart". Officials identified those killed as two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.
'We cannot continue to accept this as normal'
In a statement, Biden said students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. "We cannot continue to accept this as normal. We are closely coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local level, and are grateful for the first responders who brought the suspect into custody and prevented further loss of life," he said.
"Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me. It’s why I signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the most meaningful gun safety bill in decades – and have announced dozens of gun safety executive actions. I also established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. We’ve made significant progress, but this crisis requires even more," Biden further said.
The US President called on Republicans in Congress to say "enough is enough" and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation. "We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers," he asserted.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, wrote on social media that "Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA. These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster."
Shooter interrogated by FBI last year
ABC News quoted a witness, student Sergio Caldera, as saying he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots. Caldera, 17, told ABC his teacher opened the door and another teacher ran in to tell her to shut the door "because there's an active shooter." As students and teachers huddled in the room, someone pounded on his classroom door and shouted several times for it to be opened. When the knocking stopped, Caldera heard more gunshots and screams.
What is more interesting is that the suspect and his father was interrogated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last year over online threats about committing a school shooting. "The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them. The subject denied making the threats online. Jackson County alerted local schools for continued monitoring of the subject," the FBI said.
The US has seen hundreds of shootings inside schools and colleges in the past two decades, with the deadliest resulting in over 30 deaths at Virginia Tech in 2007. The carnage has sparked pitched debate over the US gun laws and the US Constitution's Second Amendment, which enshrines the right "to keep and bear arms."
(with Reuters input)
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