Police agencies rushed to Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Ga., on Wednesday after a shooting was reported. A suspect is in custody, officials said.
Four people are dead, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and another nine people were taken to hospitals with injuries.
“Suspect in custody and alive,” the agency added.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith spoke with reporters outside the school Wednesday afternoon. “Obviously what you see behind us is an evil thing today,” Smith said. “At about 9:30 this morning, we received the first call that there was an active shooter” on the campus, he added.
“We’re not releasing any information as far as injuries, but we have multiple injuries,” Smith said, calling the process so far “a very, very fluid investigation.”
Grady Hospital in Atlanta tells NPR that it “received one gunshot wound victim from Apalachee High School in Barrow County.”
Another local hospital declined to say whether it had any patients from the school, but media outlets in Georgia report at least two other casualties. NPR has reached out to law enforcement agencies for more details.
Images from the scene showed police officers leading students away from the school and to the nearby football field.
“We’re in the process of reunifying our students with their parents,” Smith said. “Obviously, that’s chaotic.”
The sheriff said authorities will provide an update at 4 p.m. local time. But he also predicted, “This is gonna take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said its agents were “on site assisting local, state, & federal law enforcement” who are investigating the violence.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state,” Gov. Brian Kemp said.
“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation,” the governor added.
Apalachee High School started its academic year on Aug. 1, according to its online calendar. The school’s campus sits on the outskirts of Winder, Ga., near a rural highway that runs between Athens and Atlanta. This is the school’s 25th year, according to a recent message to parents.
