A tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of two teachers and two students, marking the deadliest school violence incident in the state’s history. At least nine others sustained injuries.
The deceased students were identified as 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, while the teachers who lost their lives were Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, although the spelling of their names has not been officially confirmed.
During a news conference, law enforcement officials stated that the injured victims in the hospital are anticipated to recover fully. Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, referred to the deceased as heroes, expressing admiration for both the victims and those currently receiving medical care.
Mason Schermerhorn was remembered by family friends as a cheerful teenager who loved spending time with his family, engaging in activities such as reading, joking, playing video games, and visiting Walt Disney World. He had recently enrolled at the high school. A friend of Mason’s family, Doug Kilburn, described him as someone who relished life and maintained a positive outlook.
Louis Briscoe, a co-worker and friend of Mason’s mother, recounted that the family was excited about an upcoming vacation to Disney World. After hearing about the shooting, he reached out to Mason’s mother, only to be met with the devastating news of her son’s death.
Officials reported that the shooter, identified as a 14-year-old student at the school, will face murder charges. As the gunfire erupted, students barricaded themselves in classrooms for safety.
This incident has profoundly affected Winder, a community of approximately 18,000 residents located about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie were both math teachers at the high school, with Aspinwall also serving as the defensive coordinator for the football team. David Phenix, a math special education teacher and golf coach at the school, was among those injured. His daughter reported on Facebook that he was shot in the foot and hip, severely damaging his hip bone but arrived at the hospital alert and underwent surgery later that day.