• The shooting on Wednesday, September 5, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, left two students and two teachers dead, while nine others were hospitalized.
• The suspected shooter, identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a high school student, has since been arrested
• The four victims killed in the shooting were two 14-year-olds and two teachers from the math department, one of whom was also an assistant football coach

A Georgia community was shocked when a gunman opened fire at a local high school, killing two students and two teachers.

Nine others were hospitalized after the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) outside Atlanta.

The first shots were reported just before 10:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, September 5, just weeks into the school year. The chaotic scene resulted in a school lockdown, as dozens of police and emergency workers stormed the building.

The suspected shooter was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the high school. The alleged shooter was arrested after being confronted by a school resource officer, authorities said.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the shooting an act of “pure evil” and vowed that “hate will not prevail.”

The four victims killed in the shooting were two 14-year-olds and two teachers from the math department, one of whom was also an assistant football coach.

Bricklayer Schermerhorn

The 14-year-old was one of two students killed in the shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed.

Doug Kilburn, a family friend, told the New York Times that Schermerhorn had recently started at Apalachee High School. He remembered the boy as someone who enjoyed spending time with his family, telling jokes, playing video games and taking trips to Walt Disney World.

“He really enjoyed life,” Kilburn told the Times“He always had an optimistic attitude towards everything.”

Another family friend remembers the moment he heard of Schermerhorn’s death from his mother.

“My heart sank,” said Louis Briscoe, according to the TimesHe added: “No one should have to go through this kind of pain.”

Christian Anglos

Angulo, 14, was identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as the other student killed in the shooting.

In a GoFundMe campaign set up to cover funeral expenses, Angulo’s sister confirmed his passing, saying his loss was “so sudden and unexpected.”

“He was a very good child and very sweet and so caring,” Lisette Angulo wrote on the fundraising page. “He was so loved by so many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected. We are truly devastated. He really did not deserve this.”

The fundraiser had already surpassed its $30,000 goal as of Thursday, Sept. 5. Classmates remembered the freshman as someone who was “funny” and had a “laid-back attitude,” Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Angulo’s close friend said he was “in denial” after hearing of Angulo’s death.

“I started asking other people if it was true that he had passed away because I just wanted to know,” Abner Sanz told Fox 5 Atlanta. “I denied it because you never believe that someone you know would just pass away.”

Richard Aspinwall

Math teacher Aspinwall, 39, was one of two instructors killed in the shooting. He was also the defensive coordinator for the high school’s football team and the father of two girls.

“As our community, school and football program begin the grieving process, we are so grateful for the outpouring of support,” said Apalachee Football said in a message on X (formerly Twitter). “To our beloved defensive coordinator Ricky Aspinwall, you will be heavy in our hearts. We love you Coach A!!!”

Apalachee football head coach Mike Hancock told the Athenian Banner-Herald that Aspinwall was one of its first employees when he took the job last year.

“He was a great dad, husband and a great father,” Hancock told the newspaper. “He loved his two daughters and he loved his wife. He happened to love football and he was very well respected in this environment.”

Ariel Bowling, a student at the school, said Today that Aspinwall was her math teacher.

“I just want people to know that he was a very kind man,” she told the show. “He really pushed you and he was just very hardworking and he just had the kindest soul ever.”

A GoFundMe has been started to raise money for Aspinwall’s wife and children, and has raised nearly $140,000.

Christina Irimie

Irimie taught algebra at Apalachee. The 53-year-old always made her students “feel welcome” and told lots of jokes, one student told CBS Mornings.

“She really made you feel welcome and she helps you,” Isaac Sanguma told the show. “I’m not really good at math, but I’m starting to understand math, three weeks into school. She was really nice.”

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Originally from Romania, Irimie was active in the Romanian community in Georgia, eventually working as a dance instructor.

Nicolae Clempus, a Romanian expat, told the newspaper that Irimie welcomed him to the country when he moved to the United States.

“She was always very cheerful, always happy,” Clempus said, according to the newspaper. “If you hear someone laughing, Christina was right there in the middle of it.”

A GoFundMe campaign started by a friend of Irimie’s that raised more than $16,000 described her as a “beloved teacher, wife, daughter and friend.”