Authorities identify victims of Georgia high school shooting

Authorities have identified the four victims killed in the shooting at a Georgia high school on Wednesday morning when a student opened fire inside the school.

Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), said two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed in the shooting.

Hosey identified two students killed at Apalachee High School as Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Hosey said math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irmie were also killed in the shooting.

According to Channel2Now, Schermerhorn, who is autistic, ran away from school after being expelled.

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Text messages from a student to his mother said there was “a shooting and someone is dead.” (Erin Clark /TMX)

One of the teacher victims, Aspinwall, was also a football coach at the school.

“Coach Aspinwell was one of the kindest teachers I have ever met. He always made it clear that he was there if I needed help with anything,” one student wrote in a tribute on Instagram.

“He was so funny, spoke with pride about his wife and children, and showed all of his students that they were important to him,” the post continued.

On Wednesday, authorities identified Colt Gray, now 14, as the gunman who killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Gray turned himself in to authorities and was taken into custody after the shooting.

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A rescue helicopter is seen outside Apalachee High School following a shooting at the school on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in Winder, Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

An AR platform-style weapon was used in the shooting, Hosey said.

“As an addition to the joint statement just released, the individual identified as a 13-year-old is the same individual in custody in connection with today’s shooting at Apalachee High School,” the FBI said.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether anyone was specifically targeted, but they are not aware of any connections between Gray and the victims.

“Within minutes, police and two security officers assigned to the school were on the scene,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

According to Smith, Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult.

Authorities said there was no evidence that another shooter was involved in the shooting. Investigators are actively pursuing leads from possible accomplices of the shooter.

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People leave Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

In a joint statement, the FBI’s Atlanta field office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said the agency’s National Threat Operations Center received an anonymous tip about threats posted online regarding a possible school shooting in May 2023.

Authorities said the threats included images of weapons.

Within 24 hours of receiving the anonymous tip, investigators determined that the threats originated in Georgia and referred the case to the Sheriff’s Office.

“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office located a possible offender, a 13-year-old boy, and interviewed him and his father,” the FBI said. “The father stated he had hunting weapons in the house, but the offender did not have unsupervised access to them.”

Authorities said the boy denied the threats and alerted local schools to monitor the child.

“At that time, there was no probable cause for an arrest or for further law enforcement action at the local, state or federal level,” the FBI said.

Gray was cited and is currently being held at the Barrow County Detention Center.

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When the shooting began today, three security officers were at the school and were able to make contact with the shooter, but he immediately gave up, authorities said.

The remaining victims of the shooting are expected to recover and the Barrow County Sheriff does not currently anticipate any additional fatalities.

Fox News Digital’s Gabriele Regalbuto and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.