BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — Sorrow and pain are filling the Barrow County community as they process and manage the aftermath after a teen is accused of opening fire, killing four and injuring nine others on Wednesday at Apalachee High School.
In a sit-down interview with NBC News, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith shared harrowing details about the response to the mass shooting.
"It was carnage; there was blood everywhere. You could smell the gunpowder," Sheriff Smith said.
The sheriff added that the county recently implemented the Centegix notification system about a week and a half ago. He said the sheriff's office got multiple alerts from the school around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Sheriff Smith said the Centegix system sends authorities exact GPS coordinates to the foot of where they are.
He also added that within five to six minutes, the school resource officers interacted with the suspect, who then listened to verbal commands and complied with orders.
Colt Gray, 14, was taken into custody and has been booked into the Gainesville Detention Center as of Thursday. In an update on Thursday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting. The GBI said additional charges are expected. Gray's first court appearance is set for Friday at 8:30 a.m.
The victims who were killed in the shooting were identified by the GBI as Teacher Richard Aspinwall, 39, Teacher Cristina Irimie, 53, Student Mason Schermerhorn, 14 and Student Christian Angulo, 14.
Sheriff Smith said the tragedy will stick with him for the rest of his life.
"I don't know if I'll ever get over it. I don't know if I'll ever get over the sounds. I don't know if I'll ever get over having to do the notifications to the family that their baby is not coming home," he added.
Despite the heartbreak, Sheriff Smith expressed pride in the response of first responders and school resource officers. He also called the teachers the real heroes.
"I'm extremely proud of them. I'm most proud of even in a bad situation like this those teachers were heroes. I want that to be known. They were heroes. They saved a lot of children," he added.
He concluded with condolences for the families of those killed.