Four dead, suspect in custody after Georgia school shooting

Late Wednesday afternoon, members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI provided an update on the Wednesday morning school shooting that took the lives of four people. Law enforcement agencies responded to reports of an active shooter at Apalachee High School in northern central Georgia, shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Within minutes, members of law enforcement arrived on the scene, where they found multiple casualties.

Hosey said shortly after the initial reports, two school resource officers encountered the shooter. After interacting with the officers, the suspect quickly determined that if he didn't surrender, he would be shot by the officers, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith. At that point, Smith said the shooter got down on the floor and surrendered.

What do we know about the suspect? Hosey identified the shooter as a 14-year-old student who attended the school. He will be charged with murder as an adult, according to Hosey. As of Wednesday evening, officials had not released any information on a possible motive for the attacks. Smith characterized the attack as pure evil, and added that hate would not prevail in his community.

What do we know about the victims? As of Wednesday evening, four people had died as a result of the shootings, according to Hosey. He identified the victims as two students and two teachers. Additionally, Hosey said nine other people were transported to local hospitals with various injuries. There is currently no evidence that the victims and the shooter knew each other, or that the shooter specifically targeted the victims, Smith said.

What's next? Officials promised to provide additional updates. Investigators will be on scene at the school collecting evidence throughout the night, Hosey said. Schools throughout the Barrow County school district will remain closed through the end of the week, but the district's central office will remain open, according to Superintendent Dr. Dallas LeDuff. Grief counseling would also be available at the central office for anyone who wished it, LeDuff added. The Winder Police Department said it was assisting the sheriff at the scene of the shooting and it also posted officers to other schools in the area.

The school is in the town of Winder, Ga., which has a population of more than 19,000 people.

Dig deeper: Read Susan Olasky’s column in the WORLD archives about how Christians should avoid the hot takes when responding to mass shootings.