A shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday left four people dead, including two students and two teachers, while nine others were wounded. The suspect, 14-year-old student Colt Cray, was apprehended by law enforcement and is currently in custody. Authorities are continuing to investigate the motive behind the attack.

Lyela Sayarath, a junior at the school, recounted her experience, describing how she was seated next to Cray in their Algebra 1 class moments before the shooting. According to Lyela, Cray left the classroom at around 9:45 am without a hall pass, and she assumed he was skipping class. He later returned, and when a classmate opened the door for him, she quickly stepped back, seemingly having seen the gun. Cray, unable to enter the locked classroom, then went to a neighboring room where he began shooting.

Students in Lyela’s class hid behind desks as they heard a series of gunshots. She described the chaos as her teacher turned off the lights and students huddled together behind makeshift barricades made from desks. Her friend, who was in the classroom next to hers where the shooting took place, was visibly shaken and had blood on him after witnessing someone get shot.

In the aftermath of the shooting, officials confirmed the suspect surrendered without resistance when confronted by law enforcement. Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, noted that Cray was cooperating with authorities and would face murder charges, likely being tried as an adult. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith added that investigators were still trying to determine how the suspect acquired the weapon and smuggled it into the school.

The shooting has sparked renewed calls for stricter gun control measures. White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre emphasized the need for universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and other reforms. Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her outrage over the incident, lamenting that parents now fear for their children’s safety every day. Former President Donald Trump also shared his condolences, calling the incident the work of a "sick and deranged monster."

This tragic event is part of a broader trend of school shootings in the US, including high-profile cases in Newtown, Parkland, and Uvalde. The ongoing debate around gun control remains heated, though little progress has been made at the national level. The frequency of mass shootings in the US continues to rise, with the Gun Violence Archive reporting at least 385 such incidents so far this year.

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