Authorities said 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teachers Richard Aspenwall and Christina Irimie were killed in the attack.
Georgia school shooting: Families report ‘terrible’ news
According to official reports, several people were injured and at least four people were killed after a shooting at a school in Winder, Georgia.
ATHENS, Ga. – A rural Georgia community is mourning the deaths of four people Wednesday when a 14-year-old student opened fire inside a high school. Students and staff fled to their classrooms for shelter as schools across the county were placed on lockdown.
The four victims killed were two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, an Atlanta suburb of 18,300 residents. The attack, which also injured eight students and a teacher, sent shockwaves through the community.
Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, confirmed Wednesday evening that 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, were killed in the shooting.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the shooting “pure evil.”
“This hits home for me because I was born and raised here,” Smith said at an earlier news conference Wednesday. “My heart hurts for these children. My heart hurts for our community, but I want to make it very clear that hate will not win in this country. I want that to be very loud and clear. Love will win over what happened today. I assure you of that.”
Hundreds of community members gathered at Jug Tavern Park in downtown Winder for a vigil Wednesday night. Many held candles, bowed their heads and held each other as they prayed for those who lost their lives in the tragic shooting.
Here is what we know about the victims so far:
Mason Shermerhorn, 14
Schermerhorn’s mother confirmed to WSB-TV Atlanta that her son was killed in the attack.
According to the local television station, Schermerhorn was autistic and his family members shared photos of him on social media when they could not reach him after the shooting.
Richard Aspinwall, 39
Aspinwall taught math at Apalachee High School and was the defensive coordinator for the school’s football team. Head coach Mike Hancock mourned Aspinwall’s loss to the Winder community and his family Wednesday night.
“He was a great father, husband and dad,” Hancock said. “He loved his two daughters and his wife. He also happened to love football and was well respected in the area.”
Aspinwall, a native of Rome, was one of Hancock’s first hires when he took over the program from Apalachee last season. Aspinwall came from Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville to work as defensive coordinator.
“We have a staff that is hurting,” Hancock added. “This staff has been together for two years and Ricky has been an important part of that. It’s tough.”
Christina Irimie, 53
According to the Barrow County Schools website, Irimie was a math teacher at Apalachee High School.
Contributor: Sara Tidwell, Athens Banner-Herald
