A shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on left four people dead, including two students and two teachers. The shooter, a 14-year-old student identified as Colt Gray, was apprehended by school resource officers and is expected to be charged with murder as an adult.

The incident unfolded just days into the new school year, as students and staff were forced into lockdown amid the chaos. Many students initially believed it was just another drill until the sounds of gunfire and screams shattered their sense of security. Survivors described the terrifying ordeal, with some barricading themselves in classrooms and others fleeing to the school’s football field to reunite with frantic parents.

The shooting also left at least nine others injured, sending shockwaves through the small city of Winder, a community of around 18,000 people in the exurbs of Atlanta. Local authorities, including Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, expressed their deep sorrow and horror at what they called an act of “pure evil.”

This attack marks the deadliest school shooting in Georgia’s history and has reignited discussions about gun violence in the United States. President Biden condemned the shooting, calling it “another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart.”