A 14-year-old opened fire at a school in the US state of Georgia and killed at least four people. Two students and two teachers were among the dead, said Chris Hosey of the local investigative authority. Nine other people were injured in the attack in the town of Winder near Atlanta.
According to investigators, the shooter was a student at Apalachee High School. He was arrested and is being questioned by police. Police have not provided any information about a possible motive.
Sheriff: “Love will win”
“I want to make it clear that hate will not prevail in this county. (…) Love will triumph over what happened today,” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith. He described the act, which occurred on Wednesday morning (local time), as “pure evil.”
A school police officer arrested the 14-year-old. The youth apparently feared that there might be an exchange of gunfire, lay down on the ground and gave up. Other police officers were quickly on site and helped. The investigators announced that the 14-year-old would be charged with murder and treated as an adult.
A classmate described the teenager as quiet. “He never really said anything,” Lyela Sayarath told the US broadcaster CNN. He also regularly skipped classes. Another student described: “I heard screaming and stuff.” At first she didn’t think much of it, Janice Martinez continued. But then the noise got louder and louder.
The high school students initially sought shelter in their classrooms and eventually gathered at the school’s football stadium.
Act raises questions
The schools in the district will remain closed until the end of the week, the responsible authority announced. There are many unanswered questions after the incident.
US media had reported that there had been threatening phone calls the morning before the attack. Investigators did not confirm this when asked. According to Sheriff Smith, there is no direct personal connection between the shooter and the victims.
In the USA, fatal shootings are part of everyday life. Firearms are readily available in the USA and are in large circulation. Larger attacks of this kind, for example in schools, supermarkets, nightclubs or at large events, regularly lead to discussions about tightening gun laws – so far without any success. A substantial tightening of gun laws in the USA has been prevented by Republicans for years.
Politicians are shocked
US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill said in a statement: “Students across the country are learning to take cover and hide instead of learning to read and write. We can no longer accept this as normal.” The Democrat again called for a ban on assault rifles.
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US Vice President Kamala Harris made similar comments. “It is simply outrageous that in our country, in the United States of America, parents have to send their children to school every day and worry about whether their child will come home alive,” said the Democratic presidential candidate.
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Her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, wrote on the online platform Truth Social, which he co-founded: “These beloved children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.” Trump, 78, is running against 59-year-old Harris in the presidential election on November 5.
According to the non-governmental organization Gun Violence Archive, around 11,500 people have died from gun violence in the United States since the beginning of this year alone – not including suicides.
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