BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — It's the day following a devastating shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, where two students and two teachers were killed on Wednesday.
The accused shooter, Colt Gray, 14, was taken into custody and has been booked into the Gainesville Detention Center.
In an update on Thursday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting. The GBI said additional charges are expected. Gray's first court appearance is set for Friday at 8:30 a.m.
The accused gunman's father, Colin Gray, has also been arrested and has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. He is accused of knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon, the GBI said.
The victims who were killed in the shooting were identified by the GBI as:
- Teacher Richard Aspinwall, 39
- Teacher Cristina Irimie, 53
- Student Mason Schermerhorn, 14
- Student Christian Angulo, 14
Thursday, Sept. 5 | Apalachee High School shooting coverage
11 p.m. | The Jackson County Sheriff discussed the investigation into the alleged Apalachee High shooter over threats in 2023.
8 p.m. | The GBI said that Colin Gray is facing multiple charges and is accused of knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon.
"This is a time for all of us as a community and as a state to come together and remain vigilant," GBI Director Chris Hosey said. "Students must be supported and encouraged here in this community and across the state to contact a member of their school faculty with any and all concerns of suspicious activity that they may see."
The GBI said the agency will continue to work tirelessly to complete this investigation.
The Barrow County Sheriff said the nine injured will make a full recovery.
"Please lift up our community," Sheriff Smith said.
He commended the teachers at the school and called them heroes.
7:31 p.m. | The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that the father of the accused gunman, Colt Gray, has been arrested in connection to the shooting. Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The GBI will be providing more information in an 8 p.m. press conference.
6:10 p.m. | 11Alive's Karys Belger discussed how the community is honoring and mourning football coach Richard Aspinwall.
5:33 p.m. | Barrow County Fire released a statement crediting training for the lives saved amid the tragedy.
According to the fire department, officials credit training, preparedness strategies and best practices for its response at the school.
It said that at 10:22 a.m., alerts were received from the Centegix system, which is a new security alert system implemented in 2024 by the Barrow County School System, along with multiple calls to the county E911 regarding an active shooter at the school. The first fire department unit arrived at 10:30 a.m.
More teams from the fire department arrived shortly after, and teams had entered the school. All critically injured patients had been evacuated from the scene 30 minutes after the first alert, according to the fire department.
Barrow County Fire Chief Alan Shuman credits training and preparedness for stopping further loss of life.
"Thanks to the quick response, brave intrusion into the school and selfless sacrifice of these first responders, all those injured at the scene are expected to survive," Chief Shuman said.
Barrow County officials continue to ask for thoughts, prayers and support for those affected by Wednesday's shooting.
5:06 p.m. | Officials said that the accused gunman, Colt Gray, enrolled at Apalachee High School two weeks before the shooting and that Wednesday was his second day on campus.
4:20 p.m. | Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith spoke to NBC News, recounting harrowing details about the response to the shooting.
"It was carnage; there was blood everywhere. You could smell the gunpowder," Sheriff Smith said.
Sheriff Smith said the tragedy will stick with him for the rest of his life.
"I don't know if I'll ever get over it. I don't know if I'll ever get over the sounds. I don't know if I'll ever get over having to do the notifications to the family that their baby is not coming home," he added.
4:12 p.m. | The mugshot of the accused gunman, 14-year-old Colt Gray, has been released by the Barrow County Sheriff's Office.
2:26 p.m. | Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered all flags to fly at half-staff on all state buildings.
"As all Georgians continue to grieve with their families and community, I have ordered flags on all state buildings to be lowered in honor of Richard Aspinwall, Cristina Irimie, Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn. May we remember and commemorate their lives in all the days to come," Kemp wrote on X.
1:51 p.m. | According to the GBI, Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection with Wednesday's shooting. The GBI said additional charges are expected.
1:45 p.m. | Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spoke with 11Alive about the shooting on Thursday.
"My heart goes out to those family members, those students and staff members at Winder, Georgia, that had that unfortunate incident yesterday of a deadly mass shooting," Dickens said. "Folks are afraid. Folks are fearful about what happens next. We've seen this over and over again in America and now Georgia has just become a victim of a mass shooting. There's too many guns. We have to do something about gun laws to reform gun laws, to get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. A 14-year-old being able to access a gun in his parents' house-- we don't know all of the details but we know that this is unfortunate and it has to stop."
12:30 p.m. | The City of Winder is holding a candlelight vigil and memorial ceremony at Jug Taven Park on Friday. The vigil will begin at 6 p.m., and the memorial ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the back of the park pavilion.
12 p.m. | We're learning more about two students and two teachers who were killed in the shooting.
Following the shooting, the family of Mason Schermerhorn, a 14-year-old student, went to social media, trying to find him and get an update on what could have happened to him.
"It's crazy. I mean, this is absolutely terrifying," Brook Livington said, a friend to the Schermerhorn family.
Livingston said she was at the school for three hours before she learned that Mason Schermerhorn "was one of the four that did not make it out of the class."
An online fundraiser has been set up for 14-year-old Christian Angulo, who was another student killed in the shooting.
"He was a very good kid, very sweet, and so caring. He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected. We are truly heartbroken. He really didn’t deserve this," the fundraiser, set up by Lisette Angulo, Christian's sister, said in part.
The school and community are also mourning the loss of two teachers killed in the shooting:
Richard Aspinwall, who was fondly known by his students as "Coach A." According to his profile, the 39-year-old was also a math teacher at the school.
11Alive is also working to learn more about teacher Cristina Irimie, who was killed in the shooting.
11:15 a.m. | Here's the latest team coverage on 11Alive News at Midday on what we know about the shooting.
10:50 a.m. | 11Alive's Stephen Boissy captured this photo outside the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, where Colt Gray is being held. He was booked overnight at the detention center.
9:30 a.m. | 11Alive's Stephen Boissy captured these photos of a memorial outside of Apalachee High School.
9 a.m. | Colt Gray, the suspect accused in the shooting, will have his first court appearance on Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the Barrow County Courthouse. You can find more information about the hearing online here.
4 a.m. | 11Alive's team morning coverage with the latest updates on the shooting:
Wednesday, Sept. 4 | Previous Coverage
Apalachee High School shooting | Recap
11:36 p.m. | 11Alive's Investigative Reporter Zach Merchant gave information about those hospitalized after the shooting. There were nine injured, including eight students and one teacher. Three of the victims had been taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, but a spokesperson said that two have now been treated and released. The third person is now in Gainesville and is in stable condition. Authorities said that those who were injured are expected to recover.
11:33 p.m. | 11Alive's Angelina Salcedo was at a vigil where the community came together, mourning the lives of those lost in the shooting.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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