LIVE UPDATES
* School shut down over attack
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has confirmed that four people died and nine others injured in Apalachee High School in northern Georgia after a mass shooting.
The investigation bureau also said the suspect had been taken into custody.
The gunman is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, according to the CNN.
“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith during a press conference held on the school premises
Smith confirmed that “we have multiple injuries” but did not provide more detailed information about the nature of those injuries.
The shooting occurred at approximately 10:23 a.m. EDT at the high school in Winder, Georgia, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
The school was immediately placed on lockdown as reports of an active shooter began circulating online.
Law enforcement officers were quickly dispatched to the scene, and the premises were cleared within an hour. Students were then released to their families.
Sheriff Smith indicated that “this is a very, very fluid investigation” and noted that “this is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”
A spokesperson for Grady Health System, which operates Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, confirmed that staff had received one gunshot wound patient from Apalachee High School.
However, details about the conditions of others injured were still sketchy as at the time of filing the report.
A heavy police presence was observed at the school with dozens of ambulances, officers, and a medical helicopter on site.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were also called to the scene.
FBI Atlanta confirmed in a statement shared on social media that they were “coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp addressed the incident on social media, stating, “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.”
“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation,” Kemp added.
