Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia: 4 people dead in shooting at Georgia high school, suspect in custody: Sheriff

Four people were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Another nine victims were taken to hospitals with injuries, the GBI said. Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that approximately 20 people were injured, but the types of injuries and their severity were not immediately clear.

The suspect is alive and in custody, the GBI said.

Senior Sergio Caldera, 17, said he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots.

“My teacher goes and opens the door to see what’s going on. Another teacher comes running in and tells her to close the door because there’s an active shooter,” Caldera told ABC News.

He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the room. Caldera said they heard screams from outside as they “huddled up.”

At some point, Caldera said someone pounded on his classroom door and shouted “open up!” multiple times. When the knocking stopped, Caldera said he heard more gunshots and screams.

He said his class later evacuated to the football field.

Kyson Stancion said he was in class when he heard gunshots and “heard police scream, telling somebody, ‘There’s a shooting going on, get down, get back in the classroom.'”

“I was scared because I’ve never been in a school shooting,” he told ABC News.

“Everybody was crying. My teacher tried to keep everybody safe,” he added.

Apalachee High School was “cleared for dismissal” and all other Barrow County Schools are on a “soft lockdown,” the Barrow County School District said.

“The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office says this is for the safety of everyone right now. Please do not visit your child’s school at this time. We cannot release students during a lockdown,” the school district said in a statement. “We will let you know as soon as BCSO says it is all clear for dismissal.”

Winder is about 45 miles outside of Atlanta. The school enrolls about 1,900 students.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris have been briefed on the shooting, according to the White House.

Agents from the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are at the scene.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “I’m devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. The Justice Department stands ready to provide any resources or support.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he’s “praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state.”

In Atlanta, authorities will “bolster patrols” around schools on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement.

“My prayers are with the high school students, staff and families affected by the senseless act of violence in Winder,” Dickens said.

So far in 2024 there have been 385 mass shootings as of September 4, including this latest one in Georgia, according to the ABC News data team.

This is Georgia’s 16th mass shooting so far this year.

This time last year there were 485 mass shootings.

The Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one with four or more people injured or killed – not including the perpetrator – counted 656 Mass Shootings in 2023, 646 in 2022, 689 in 2021 and 610 in 2020.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.