US School Shooter Attempted To Enter Class, Was Denied Entry By Classmate

The 14-year-old Georgia school shooter, who killed two fellow students and two teachers on Wednesday, attempted to re-enter his algebra class after leaving it at the beginning of the period. He was denied entry by a classmate, who saw he had a gun, reported CNN. 

Colt Gray left the room and returned as the class neared its end, asking to be let back in, recounted Lyela Sayarath, a junior who sat beside Gray. Due to the school's security protocol, the classroom doors automatically locked once closed, meaning someone from inside had to manually allow him back in. 

However, a peer noticed that Gray was in possession of a gun and refused to open the door. Gray then opened fire in another classroom. Moments later, a round of gunshots inside the school left four dead and nine injured.

“They almost let him in, but I'm pretty sure she saw that he had a gun and so she backed away,” Ms Sayarath said. “And then he turned away and that's when you hear like the first round of fire.”

Lyela Sayarath and her classmates instinctively dropped to the floor, piling desks in front of them and trying to shield themselves. Their teacher turned off the lights.

First responders arrived at the scene quickly, and Gray was taken into custody just minutes after the shooting began. He was armed with an AR-15, a semi-automatic rifle. 

Ms Sayarath wasn't surprised by Gray's alleged actions, as he fit the common stereotype of a school shooter. “It's usually the quiet kid or that's a stereotype for it to be and he was the one that fit that description in our class,” she said. 

Among the dead was 14-year-old student Mason Schermerhorn, who had autism, and two teachers whose identities have not yet been released. Eight students and a teacher were also injured in the attack, with some of the injuries resulting from gunfire and others from students trying to flee the scene. Fortunately, all those hospitalised are reportedly stable.