Students who survived the Georgia school shooting admitted they were hidden in closets by their teachers and claimed the school did not take the threat seriously before all hell broke loose.
Colt Gray, 14, opened fire at Apalachee High School on Wednesday, hitting at least 13 people and killing four in what was officially the deadliest such incident in Georgia history.
But the horrific barrage forced some students to hide in school lockers as they fled to safety, while their families and relatives waited impatiently outside for news.
Jayden Finch, a freshman from Apalachee, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that one of his friends was killed in the shooting as his teacher led him and his classmates into a closet.
He also remembered seeing a dead body when his class was taken to the soccer field.
Colt Gray’s alleged murder weapon is seen in the hallway of Apalachee High School, where he allegedly killed four people and injured nine
“There was a threat against the school this morning, but there were so many empty threats that they didn’t take it seriously,” Jayden added.
Caden Moon, a 12th-grader at Apalachee School, told the news agency he was in the middle of class when he heard several gunshots.
“Everything was fine. And then all the screens locked and then I heard about five shots outside my classroom,” he said.
Micah Hartsock, a junior from Apalachee, said he tried to stay calm and text his father as frightening gunshots rang out in the hallway.
“There is a shooter and I heard gunshots. I was about to tell you that I care about you and that I love you. So if I can’t do it,” his desperate message said.
But families of Georgia students outside of school have also reported fear and waiting for news about their children’s condition after the school shooting.
When news of the shooting broke, parents and relatives of the students were desperately awaiting information about the safety and well-being of their children.
One father, William Hartman, said he received a call from his 17-year-old son telling his parents that the incident was being filmed live on Facebook.
“I don’t know how to explain the feelings, the fear,” said the father.
The father of Apalachee High School student William Hartman said he received a call from his 17-year-old son telling him the shooting was being filmed live on Facebook.
Grandparents Michelle and J Watson said they had waited 45 minutes to hear news about their grandchild studying at the school.
“I have two children who attend Hayman Morris (middle school), which is adjacent to the school, and my first concern was to call the schools immediately.
“Then came the text messages and things like that from the schools. Terror. Absolute terror.”
The grandparents of an Apalachee High School student, Michelle and J Watson, recounted how they had to wait an agonizing 45 minutes before hearing news of their grandchild.
“Really sad. Really sad… “You know, it took us a while to realize she wasn’t one of the victims. I mean, 45 minutes… an hour…” they recalled.
“An hour before we got the news that she was OK, everything was very scary. This is the last thing you expect in this heat,” they added.
Speaking to the BBC this morning, several surviving students recalled their fear during that terrible morning.
“I saw a child with a gun,” said a young student.
“We heard gunshots, the teacher ran, slammed the door and sent us all into the corner,” another recalled.
A third parent revealed: “My son actually called me while it was happening in the classroom.”
According to officials, Gray’s rampage ended within minutes after he began shooting around 10:23 a.m., killing his four victims – teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14 years old.
When confronted by police officers, he immediately surrendered, “gave up and lay down on the ground,” they added.
14-year-old student Christian Angulo was also shot dead in the senseless shooting.
Teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall lost their lives in the tragedy
Mason Schermerhorn, 14, an autistic student at Apalachee High School, was the first victim to be identified. He was one of four people killed in the mass shooting.
It is unclear how the 14-year-old gunman obtained the weapon used in the attack; police reportedly searched his family’s home in the hours after the shooting.
Authorities say they are still investigating how Gray managed to get an AR weapon into his school. Footage of the aftermath shows the weapon apparently on the ground as terrified students are led through the hallways to safety.
After his arrest, Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, said the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Images showed students streaming onto campus as frightened parents searched for their children. One mother described the scene outside the school as pure “chaos.”
Lyela Sayerath, an eleventh-grader, said she was sitting next to Colt Gray in algebra class just minutes before he began his shooting spree.
She told CNN that Colt left the classroom at the start of class at 9:45 a.m., about half an hour before the school shooting warning sounded.
Gray didn’t take a bathroom pass, she said, so she initially thought he was just skipping class – before teachers were told over the loudspeaker to check their email.
Shortly thereafter, Sayerath said, Gray returned from the classroom and a student stood up to open the door for him, but then jumped back when he saw his gun.
“I guess he realized we weren’t going to let him in. And I guess the door to the classroom next door was open, so I think he just started shooting in the classroom,” she said.
Students and residents remember those who lost their lives by lighting candles near the scene of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4.
Security forces take action at the scene of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia
Lyela Sayarath, an 11th-grader at Apalachee High School, said she was sitting next to the gunman, Colt Gray, 14, in algebra class just moments before he opened fire.
Sayerath said Gray then fired several shots “one after another.” He added: “When we heard it, most people just dropped to the ground and huddled together in one area, as if they were stacked on top of each other.”
Sayerath said her boyfriend was in the classroom next door and saw someone being shot, which left him “shaken.” “He saw someone being shot. He was covered in blood. He was limping a little bit. He looked horrified,” she added.
Sayarath described her classmate as follows: Gray “never really talked. Most of the time he was not in school, he would just skip class… Even when he talked, he would only respond with one word.”
Sayarath said she was “not surprised” when Gray was identified as the shooter, adding: “When you think of shooters and their behavior, it’s usually the quiet kid, and he fit that description.”
But the shooter’s relatives rushed to his aid, which triggered strong reactions on the Internet and among the local population.
The teenager’s aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, subsequently posted on Facebook about the problems he was “struggling with” and said she would “take care of my nephew and whatever he needs.”
“Check yourself before you speak out about a child who never asked to have to deal with the crap he was subjected to on a daily basis,” she said in the posts, which have since been deleted.
“Are you ready to see Polhamus’ blood in full? No, I wouldn’t be ready either.”
Polhamus Brown said she had “done everything she could to fight for my nephew” and accused people of “placing blame.”
She also addressed a few words to the victims of the shooting, saying that “the families affected by my nephew’s actions deserve all the attention now.”
“I will NOT disrespect other parents and families going through this tragedy on the other side. THEY DON’T DESERVE THIS,” she wrote.
