Casualties were reported in an active shooter situation at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning, according to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
One suspect is in custody, the sheriff’s office said.
The incident is over and a local hospital is “treating multiple gunshot wounds,” according to one source briefed on the situation.
Details on the number of victims and their conditions were not immediately clear, the sheriff’s office said.
Senior Sergio Caldera, 17, said he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots at 11 a.m.
“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.
Police are seen outside Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Sept. 4, 2024.
WSB
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.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting. “His administration will continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials as we receive more information,” according to the White House.
Agents from the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are at the scene.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he’s “directed all available state resources to respond.”
Kemp said he’s “praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state.”
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.
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