At Least 4 Dead In School Shooting In US's Georgia, Suspect, 14, Arrested

At least four people have died after a gunman opened fire at a high school in US's Georgia. Police and medics rushed to the school and the neighbourhood was put under "a hard lockdown". The suspect,a 14-year-old teen, is now arrested.

Local news reports suggest that there are some who have been injured and at least one person has been evacuated in an air ambulance.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation or GBI said it responded to the "shooting" at the high school.

"At approximately 10:23 a.m., officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and Fire/EMS personnel were dispatched to the high school in reference to a reported active shooting," the Barrow County Sheriff's office said in a statement.

Students were evacuated from the scene of the shooting and several were seen huddled at a field near the school. The Barrow County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the suspect has been taken into custody.

The shooter who opened fire inside Apalachee High school is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, a law enforcement source told CNN, adding that it is not yet known whether the teen attended that school.

CNN also confirmed that at least four people have died in today's shooting incident. In addition to the four killed, over a dozen people are injured, it reported. It further said that not all injuries were gunshot wounds. Several were injuried while trying to take cover or flee the scene.

The Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, sent out a message to parents saying it was "currently in a hard lockdown after reports of gunfire."

The school is located in the town of Winder, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta, the state capital.

#HappeningNow shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow Co. GA. Hearing reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/t4xgv8Ibaq

— DAP (insert blue check here) (@Deetroit_Dave) September 4, 2024

"We have agents on site assisting local, state, and federal law enforcement w/ the investigation. One suspect in custody," the GBI said in a post on social media.

"Law enforcement has arrived. Please do not attempt to come to the school at this time while officers work to secure the area," it added.

ABC News quoted a witness, student Sergio Caldera, as saying he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots. Caldera, 17, told ABC his teacher opened the door and another teacher ran in to tell her to shut the door "because there's an active shooter."

As students and teachers huddled in the room, someone pounded on his classroom door and shouted several times for it to be opened. When the knocking stopped, Caldera heard more gunshots and screams. He said his class later evacuated to the school's football field, reported Reuters.

"What we see behind us is an evil thing today," Sheriff Jud Smith said during a brief news conference on school grounds.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on social media website X that state agencies were responding to the incident.

The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting "and his administration will continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials as we receive more information."

The U.S. has seen hundreds of shootings inside of schools and colleges in the past two decades, with the deadliest resulting in over 30 deaths at Virginia Tech in 2007. The carnage has sparked pitched debate over the U.S. gun laws and the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which enshrines the right "to keep and bear arms."

(Inputs from AFP and Reuters)