A person is in custody following a shooting Wednesday morning at a high school outside Atlanta that left at least four people dead and possibly dozens more injured, according to police and local news reports.
Officers began responding to a report of a mass shooting at around 10:20 a.m. at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, located about an hour's drive from downtown Atlanta, according to Channel 2 Action News, a local television station. The first call reporting an "active shooter" came at around 9:30 a.m., according to NBC News.
Students were directed to flee to the school's football field.
“I want to give our sympathies to our community, our school system, our kids, our parents that had to witness this today," Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
In a separate statement, the Barrow County Sheriff's Office declined to share information on the number of casualties, noting that there have been reports of multiple deaths and injuries but "the number or their conditions is not available at this time."
But, citing unnamed sources, Channel 2 Action News reported that at least four people were dead. Law enforcement sources provided the same figure to CNN, which reported that "approximately 30 more" were also injured in the shooting.
In a statement, President Joe Biden mourned "those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence." He urged Republicans in Congress to quit blocking "common-sense gun safety legislation," including bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
"These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart," Biden said.
Shares