Georgia high school shooting: Authorities identify 2 teachers, 2 students as victims killed

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

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director (GBI) Chris Hosey said two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed during 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 Irimie were also killed during the shooting. 

Schermerhorn, who was autistic, was believed to have wandered away from the school after dismissal, according to Channel2Now.

Friends of Schermerhorn’s mother told the New York Times that he was known for having an “upbeat attitude about everything.” He was lighthearted and enjoyed reading and video games, the people told the outlet.

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

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

“He was so funny, talked about his wife and kids with pride and showed all of his students that he cared for them,” the post continued. 

On Wednesday, authorities identified Colt Gray, now 14, as the shooter who killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Gray surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody following the rampage. 

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Christian Angulo, 14, was also killed. Fox 5 Atlanta reported that his schoolmates described him as funny and enjoyable to be around. One student who said he was longtime friends of Angulo said he was “in denial”

Lisette Angulo identified herself as Christian’s elder sister on a GoFundMe page that has raised over $50,000 for his funeral.

“He was a very good kid and 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,” she wrote on the site.

Math teacher Christina Irimie was also named as one of the fatalities. Her students described her as patient and caring, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

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

“As a follow to the Joint Statement just released, the subject referred to as the 13-year-old is the same subject in custody related to today’s shootings at Apalachee High School,” the FBI said.

Investigators are still trying to determine if anyone was specially targeted, but they were not aware of any known connections between Gray and the victims.

“Within minutes, law enforcement was on scene as well as two school resource officers assigned here to the school,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. 

Gray will be charged with murder and prosecuted as an adult, according to Smith.

Authorities said there is no evidence to support that any additional shooter was involved in the shooting and investigators are actively pursuing leads from any potential associates of the shooter. 

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In a joint statement, the FBI’s Atlanta field office and 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.

The agencies said that the threats contained images of guns. 

Within 24 hours of receiving the anonymous tip, investigators determined the threats originated in Georgia and the matter was referred to the sheriff’s office.

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

The agencies said the boy denied making the threats and authorities alerted local schools to monitor the child. 

“At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state, or federal levels,” the FBI said.

Gray is being booked and is currently being held at the Barrow County Detention center. 

There were three school resource officers at the school today when the shooting began who were able to make contact with the shooter, who gave up immediately, authorities said.

The remaining shooting victims are expected to recover and the Barrow County Sheriff says they don’t expect any more fatalities at this time. 

Fox News’ Gabriele Regalbuto, Louis Casiano and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.