Motive sought after four deaths

ATHENS, Ga. – Authorities in Georgia on Thursday tried to solve the tragic mystery of why and how a 14-year-old boy previously linked to threats of violence opened fire in his high school, killing two teachers and two students and plunging the rural town of Winder into fear and grief.

On Wednesday, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo (both 14) as well as mathematics teachers Richard Aspinwall (39) and Christina Irimie (53) were killed. Eight other students and one teacher were injured.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said the gunman began firing with an “AR-style weapon” around 10:20 a.m. Smith said the shooter, identified as Colt Gray, was quickly confronted by school officials and the suspect immediately surrendered. Gray spoke with investigators, who declined to comment on whether they had yet determined a motive for the shooting.

“What happened today was pure evil,” Smith said at a press conference late Wednesday.

The FBI said it received tips last year about online threats involving then-13-year-old Colt Gray. The tips were forwarded to authorities in neighboring Jackson County, who determined there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest.

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Developments:

∎ Hundreds of community members gathered in downtown Winder for a vigil Wednesday night. Many held candles, bowed their heads and hugged one another as they prayed for those who lost their lives in the tragic shooting.

∎ Gray will be charged and tried as an adult, said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

∎ According to the GBI, there is no evidence that anyone else was involved in the shooting or that other schools may have been targeted.

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Classmate Lyela Sayarath told the Associated Press that the teenager pointed the gun at students in a hallway at the school when classmates refused to open the door for him to return to his algebra classroom. Sayarath, who described Gray as a quiet student who had recently changed schools, said she observed Gray through a window in the doorway.

She said some students tried to open the locked door but then backed away.

“I suspect they saw something,” said Sayarath. Then she heard the shots, “about ten or 15 at a time, one after the other.”

Marques Coleman, 14, told CBS he saw the attacker holding a “large gun” shortly before the shooting.

“I got up and ran. He shot about 10 times,” Coleman said. “My teacher started barricading the door with tables.”

The FBI received information about online threats: Tips related to suspected school shooter in Georgia

The FBI received tips last year about online threats related to then-13-year-old Gray, the suspect in Wednesday's shooting at Apalachee High School, the FBI's Atlanta office said Wednesday. In May 2023, the FBI's National Threat Operations Center received anonymous tips about threats to commit a school shooting at an undisclosed location, federal agents said in a social media post. The threats, which included images of guns, were traced to Jackson County, Georgia, and the FBI notified the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities questioned Gray and his father, who said he had hunting weapons in the house but Gray did not have access to them. Colt Gray also denied making the online threats. There was no probable cause for an arrest or further police action at the time, the post said. Jackson County shared information with local schools, but Gray was a student at Apalachee High School in neighboring Barrow County when the shooting occurred. Read more here.

Friends of Angulo described him as a free spirit with a “laid-back” attitude. His older sister, Lisette, remembered Angulo as “very sweet and so caring,” according to a GoFundMe page for Angulo's funeral.

“He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected,” wrote Lisette Angulo. “We are truly heartbroken.”

Those who knew Schermerhorn described him as a carefree teenager who spent time with his family, reading, telling jokes, playing video games and visiting Walt Disney World, The New York Times reported.

In addition to teaching math, Aspinwall was the defensive coordinator for the school's football team. Head coach Mike Hancock described him as a “great father, husband and great dad.”

“He loved his two daughters and his wife,” Hancock said of Aspinwall. “He also happened to love football and was well respected in the area.”

Students described Irimie as patient and caring. The Atlanta Constitution-Journal, citing her pastor and friends, wrote that Irimie loved her Romanian heritage and remained true to her roots. The pastor, Nicolae Clempus, told the newspaper he met Irimie shortly after moving to the U.S. in 2001. Irimie, he said, had immigrated from Romania several years earlier, was active in the expat community and made him feel welcome.

Since the beginning of 2024, more than 20 schools nationwide have been affected by gun violence. The Apalachee High School shooting marked the 23rd time this year that a school shooting resulted in injuries or deaths, according to data from Education Week, a news organization that covers K-12 education. Education Week is just one of several organizations that collect data on school gun violence, but they only track incidents that meet certain criteria. The 22 school shootings before Wednesday's shooting in Georgia resulted in seven deaths and 29 injuries, according to Education Week's count.

Since Education Week began tracking school shootings in 2018, there have been more than 200 school shootings.

− Amaris Encinas

Contributors: Thao Nguyen

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