A gunman opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning, according to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have confirmed that the incident is over and they have one suspect in custody as well as several confirmed injuries and fatalities.
According to sources, the local hospital is “treating multiple gunshot wounds.”
Sources have since reported at least four people are believed to have been killed and approximately 30 more injured. The investigation and official victim count is ongoing.
Grady Health System in Atlanta has received one gunshot wound victim from Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Grady’s director of public relations, Danielle Hackett, told CNN.
The patient was transported to the hospital by helicopter, Hackett said. Apalachee High School is located about 45 minutes out side of Atlanta.
17-year-old Senior Sergio Caldera said he was in chemistry class when he first heard gunshots.
“My teacher goes and opens the door to see what’s going on. Another teacher comes running in and tells her to close the door because there’s an active shooter,” Caldera told ABC News.
He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the room. Caldera said they heard screams from outside as they “huddled up.”
His class later evacuated to the football field.
Several agencies are on scene including the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Apalachee High School was “cleared for dismissal” and all other Barrow County Schools are on a “soft lockdown,” the Barrow County School District said.
“The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office says this is for the safety of everyone right now. Please do not visit your child’s school at this time. We cannot release students during a lockdown,” the school district said in a statement. “We will let you know as soon as BCSO says it is all clear for dismissal.”
Authorities are currently working on reuniting Apalachee High School students with their parents. They’ve stationed police at all other schools and the active shooter situation has so far been an isolated incident.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said authorities are scrambling to find answers after Wednesday’s shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia — but also cautioned that those answers may not come quickly.
“We are asking for your patience … please let us get the facts that we need to make sure we get this right,” Smith said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened.”