A shooting occurred at a school in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning. CNN reported that four people were dead and nine were taken to hospitals. The sheriff's office reported that one person was arrested in the case. “Students across the country are being taught to hide and cover up instead of reading and writing. We cannot accept this,” President Joe Biden said.
The shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. CNN reported that four people were dead and at least thirty were injured. It noted that it was unclear how many of the injuries were caused by gunshot wounds.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said nine people were hospitalized.
“At approximately 10:20 a.m., multiple law enforcement agencies, fire department personnel, and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the high school in reference to a reported shooting,” the Barrow County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. “The situation is ongoing,” it added.
The sheriff's office also reported that one person had been arrested in the case. CNN, citing sources, reported that the attacker was a 14-year-old, but it was unclear whether he attended the school.
CNN reported that one of the injured people was being transported to a helicopter that landed at the school. “A local hospital is receiving patients with gunshot wounds,” CNN reported, citing hospital sources.
According to information, FBI agents are also involved in the operation.
Services outside Apalachee High School in WinderReuters
ABC News quoted a witness, 17-year-old Sergio Caldera, who said he was in chemistry class when he heard the shots. He said “another teacher ran into the classroom, shouting to close the door because there's an attacker.”
As students and teachers huddled in the room, someone banged on his classroom door and repeatedly shouted for it to open. When the knocking stopped, Caldera heard more gunshots and screams. He said his class later evacuated to the school playground.
Biden: Students Across the Nation Are Being Taught How to Hide and Conceal Instead of Reading and Writing, We Can't Accept This
US President Joe Biden issued a statement after the shooting. “What should have been a joyous return to school in Winder, Georgia, turned into another horrifying reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are being taught to duck and hide instead of read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” the president said in a statement.
Biden called on Congress to act and pass an assault weapons ban. “After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say enough is enough and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation,” the president added.
“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and I appeal to all Georgians to join me in praying for the safety of classrooms in Barrow County and across our state,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.
In the last two decades United States experienced hundreds of school shootings. The worst tragedy occurred at Virginia Tech in 2007, where more than 30 people died. These terrible events intensified the debate about access to guns in the United States and the validity of the Second Amendment.
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Main image source: ERIK S. LESSER/EPA/PAP