The authorities told a press conference that the victims of the tragedy were two students and two teachers

On Wednesday 4 September, a gunman opened fire at Apalachee high school in Winder, Georgia, killing at least four people and wounding nine others, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced on the X social network. The victims included two students and two teachers, as confirmed by the authorities.

One suspect, a 14-year-old pupil attending the school, was quickly apprehended by the police, ‘a few minutes after’ the first reports. The police said the young gunman surrendered without resistance. He will be prosecuted for murder and ‘tried as an adult’. For safety reasons, schools in the county will remain closed for the rest of the week.

A ‘terrible tragedy

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, expressed his deep sorrow at this latest tragedy, saying in a statement: ‘What was supposed to be a joyous start to the new school year in Winder, Georgia, has become a horrible reminder that gun violence continues to destroy the lives of our fellow citizens’. He again urged Congress to legislate, including a ban on assault rifles, adding firmly, ‘We cannot continue to accept this as normal.’

The Attorney General, Merrick Garland, also reacted at a press conference, saying he was ‘distraught for the families affected by this terrible tragedy’. For his part, the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, announced on X that he had ‘mobilised all the forces of the State to respond to the incident’. He also called on ‘all Georgians to pray for the safety of the students in our schools, in Barrow County and across the state’.