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Shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow Sheriff speaks out

Vaseline September 4, 2024

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith released a statement Wednesday afternoon from Apalachee High School, where the GBI confirmed four people were dead and nine others were hospitalized following a shooting at the school earlier that day.

Smith did not provide details about casualties or the number of injured.

The sheriff’s department received a call about an active shooter on campus at 9:30 a.m., Smith said, and he limited most of the information, saying there were multiple injuries and that they had a suspect in custody. He asked for patience because it was a fluid investigation.

“First of all, I want to lift up our community, I want to express our condolences to our communities, our school system, our children, our parents who had to witness this today,” Smith said. “It’s clear that what you’re seeing behind us today is something evil.”

The students were rushed out of the school and to the football field, where they waited until they could be seen by their parents.

A line of cars stretched far down Haymon Morris Road as parents arrived to pick up their students.

Learn more about the Apalachee High School shooting

Smith asked the Georgia State Patrol and the GBI for assistance in the investigation.

Smith did not provide details about the number of injuries or who the suspect was.

“It’s very active and constantly evolving,” Smith said. “Every minute is evolving based on what we’re finding.”

Smith will try to release more information around 4 p.m., he said.

“We are in the process of reuniting the students with their parents, which is obviously chaotic right now,” Smith said. “But we want to respect them and their privacy. I want to thank the state, federal, and local agencies that showed up today. The various local EMS and fire departments that showed up today. Again, I ask you to support Barrow County Schools, Apalachee, and our agencies. It’s going to be several days before we get answers about what happened and why this happened.”

More information will follow once it is released

Ryne Dennis is the Deep South Connect Team Editor for Gannett/USA Today. Find him at X @RyneDennis and email on [email protected].