NEW YORK, Sept 5 – Four people were killed and nine others wounded in a campus shooting at a high school in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday, local authorities said.
The four deceased are two students and two teachers at the Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, about 70 km north of Atlanta, Georgia’s biggest city.
The shooter has been identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the high school, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Chris Hosey told a briefing Wednesday afternoon, said Xinhua.
Gray opened fire at the high school shortly before 10.30 am He surrendered to police as soon as he was confronted by a school resource officer, Hosey said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies and emergency responders were dispatched to the school following the shooting.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said he is not aware of any connection between the suspected shooter and the victims.
Hosey said part of the investigation is looking into every aspect of the shooter, his connection at the school.
Another nine people injured in the shooting have been taken to hospitals, Hosey said. In addition to the patients with gunshot wounds, five people were hospitalised with panic attack symptoms, a hospital spokesperson said.
The school was put on a hard lockdown after the shooting took place. Schools in Barrow County will be closed for the rest of the week, according to Dallas LeDuff, the county’s superintendent.
The deadly school shooting has prompted officials to step up patrols around campuses in Atlanta.
