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Suspected shooter at Apalachee High School identified

Four people were killed, and nine people were hospitalized due to the shooting in Barrow County on Wednesday morning.

WINDER, Ga. — Law enforcement has identified the alleged shooter who opened fire inside a high school in Barrow County on Wednesday, killing four people and hospitalizing nine.

The alleged shooter was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray. The teen was a student at Apalachee High School, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. He has been charged with murder, and he will be tried as an adult, the GBI said.

Gray's mugshot was released to 11Alive on Wednesday:

Credit: Barrow County Sheriff's Office.
Colt Gray

He is alive and in custody, the GBI said in a post on X. Two of the people killed were students, while the other two were teachers. It's unclear what his motive was at this time. The victims killed were identified late Wednesday night.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that Gray was actually investigated in 2023 by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office after Gray allegedly posted online threats containing photos of guns in a threat to commit a school shooting. The time and location were unknown.

Gray was 13 years old at the time. At the time, the father said that though he had hunting guns in the house, his son did not have "unsupervised access" to them. The boy also denied making the online threats.

RELATED: Suspected Apalachee High shooter had been investigated last year for online threats: FBI Atlanta

11Alive's Cody Alcorn was outside Gray's home, where he lived with his dad and two younger siblings in Bethlehem. The home is roughly six miles from Apalachee High School.

More details about the shooting

CNN reported that a phone call was placed Wednesday morning that warned there would be shootings, with Apalachee High School being the first target. It's unclear at this time who that phone call was placed by.

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office said the first call came in at 9:30 a.m. about an active shooter.

CNN reported approximately 30 injuries in all, with many of those not requiring hospitalization. The GBI said that nine of those injuries required hospitalizations. Five people took themselves to the hospital reporting "anxiety" or "panic attack" symptoms following the shooting, according to a spokesperson with Northeast Georgia Health System.

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11Alive confirmed Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta received one patient in the shooting. Northeast Georgia Medical Center said two patients were taken to their facility in Winder, while one victim was rushed to the larger hospital in Gainesville. Grady Memorial Hospital and Northeast Georgia Medical Center are Level 1 trauma centers.

Many students who were inside the high school at the time of the shooting reported hearing loud bangs, prompting a terrifying scene for students, staff and their families, who were left wondering whether they would see their children when they showed up at the high school.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp posted a statement on X saying he and his family are "heartbroken" and that he will continue to "make any and all resources available to help this community on this incredibly difficult day and in the days to come."

President Joe Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden were "mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed."

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