In the moments after he was shot, math teacher Richard Aspinwall was “trying to crawl back to” his students, even as sounds of gunfire continued to echo through the halls of Apalachee High School.
Stephanie Reyna and Bryan Maldonado, both 17 years old, were among the 18 students in Aspinwall’s class when the violence began on Wednesday around 10:20 a.m.
Reyna told ABC News that they knew something was amiss when they “heard banging on the lockers right outside of the classroom.” That’s when Aspinwall, who was also a football coach at the school, opened the door and “ran outside to see what’s going on,” she added.
Then, they “heard some popping sounds,” Reyna said, recalling how she and her classmates took cover on the ground in the back corner of the room.
After several moments of silence, another round of pops rang out. Then Maldonado said they heard “a little bit of breathing” and “a little bit of groaning.” He told ABC News the sounds were coming from Aspinwall, who had made it back to the doorway of the classroom despite having sustained a gunshot wound.
“He was trying to crawl back to us,” Reyna said. “We just think he was trying to get to us.”
Maldonado recalled how they all remained frozen in fear as they listened to their teacher take his “final breaths.” He said one of his classmates finally “got the courage” to leave his hiding spot and dragged Aspinwall’s body back into the classroom.
“That encouraged me to stand up,” Maldonado said.
They rest of the class quickly followed suit, and they worked together to barricade themselves inside the room, where they remained until they were evacuated by first responders.
The school’s head football coach, Mike Hancock, remembered Aspinwall “as a great dad, man, and a great father.”
“He loved his two girls and he loved his wife. He did happen to love the game of football and he was well respected around this area,” Hancock said.
Aspinwall was one of four people killed in the shooting at Apalachee High School. Another teacher, Christina Irimie, and two students, Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, both 14, were also fatally shot. Nine more people were hospitalized in wake of the violent rampage and are all expected to recover from their injuries.
Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student, surrendered at the scene after he was confronted by a school resource officer. Police said he used an AR-style rifle to carry out the carnage, an alleged Christmas gift from his father, who was arrested a day after the shooting.
Colt is facing four counts of murder, and officials said he will likely face additional charges in connection with the blood bath. His father, Colin Gray, accused of enabling his son to carry out the attack, is meanwhile facing more than a dozen charges, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children