According to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, victims were reported in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, Wednesday morning.
A suspect is in custody, the sheriff’s office said.
The incident is over and a local hospital is “treating multiple gunshot wounds,” a source briefed on the situation said.
More precise information on the number of victims and their condition was not immediately clear, the sheriff’s office said.
Students are seen outside Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on September 4, 2024.
WSB
Senior Sergio Caldera, 17, said he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots at 11 a.m.
“My teacher goes to the door and opens it to see what’s going on. Another teacher comes running and tells her to close the door because someone is shooting,” Caldera told ABC News.
He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the classroom. Caldera said they heard screams coming from outside as they “crouched down.”
At one point, Caldera said, someone banged on his classroom door and shouted “Open up!” several times. When the banging stopped, he heard more gunshots and screams, Caldera said.
He said his class was later evacuated to the soccer field.
Police officers are seen outside Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on September 4, 2024.
WSB
The Barrow County School District announced that Apalachee High School was “cleared for classroom closure” and all other schools in Barrow County were under a “soft lockdown.”
“The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office says this is for everyone’s safety at this time. Please do not attend your child’s school at this time. We are unable to dismiss students during a curfew,” the school district said in a statement. “We will let you know as soon as the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office says dismissal is possible.”
Winder is located about 45 miles outside of Atlanta.
Agents from the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are on site.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said he had “deployed all available state resources to respond.”
Kemp said he was “praying for the safety of the people in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state.”
This is a developing story, please check back later for updates.
ABC News’ Josh Margolin and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.
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