An autistic 14-year-old teen is among those dead in a Georgia high school shooting, multiple reports have confirmed.
Mason Schemerhorn, a 14-year-old special needs student, was among those killed by alleged shooter Colt Gray.
“Family members had circulated photos of him on social media when they couldn’t contact him after the shooting,” WSB-TV reported.
“If he is escalated, PLEASE use a calm voice with him,” they begged in a social media post, according to the New York Post.
“Let him know his mom is looking for him for reassurance.”
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Sadly, he was one of the four people killed at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia on Wednesday morning. Another 14-year-old student, Christian Angulo, was killed, as were teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie.
One of the victims in the school shooting was Mason Schermerhorn, a student with autism. 😢😢 pic.twitter.com/ccwh40ZXuF
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) September 4, 2024
“The incident first unfolded around 10:20 a.m. when officers from multiple agencies and Fire/EMS personnel were dispatched to the high school after reports of an active shooter,” WSB reported.
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“According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, school resource officers quickly responded to the situation and the shooter surrendered to them.”
It’s unclear what the motive behind the shooting was. However, one of the nine wounded was a special education teacher, leading to online speculation that the suspect had targeted special needs students or teachers.
However, according to NBC News, investigators made clear that there was no evidence of this thus far and it could have been a random attack.
“We don’t know of any targets at this point,” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith as he spoke to reporters.
Smith reiterated: “We have not identified that at this point.”
However, it was reported that the FBI had investigated the suspected shooter for making online threats of a school shooting in May of 2023.
“The threats, which were posted to an online gaming site, contained pictures of guns,” WSB reported.
“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office located a possible subject, a 13-year-old boy, who denied making the threats. They spoke to the teen’s father, who said the family did own hunting rifles but the teen did not have access to guns. At the time, there was no probable cause for arrest.”
Gov. Brian Kemp announced that he was directing “all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state.”
I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state. (1/2)
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) September 4, 2024
We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation. (2/2)
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) September 4, 2024
Online, there was an outpouring of grief and sympathy for all the victims, but the murder of the autistic Schemerhorn seemed to strike a particular chord with those following the story:
As a father of a son on the spectrum, I can’t imagine the heartache his family is experiencing.🙏🏿🙏🏿
— DulaMan (@DulaManMedia) September 4, 2024
this is devastating. it’s every parents worst nightmare, but even worse when you have a child on the spectrum because they often cannot comprehend the urgency safety protocol of emergency situations. I pray that we can find a way to do better. I pray for his family as well.
— Sassington, M.C. (@MissSassbox) September 4, 2024
Young man ain’t even get a chance to experience life.
— Different Perspective (@PerspectiveGawd) September 4, 2024
The shooter will be charged as an adult, authorities say. He reportedly surrendered after a school resource officer confronted him.
“Our school resource officer engaged him and the shooter quickly realized that if he did not give up, that it would end with an OIS — an officer involved shooting,” Sheriff Smith said.
“He gave up, got on the ground and the deputy took him into custody.”
Sadly, that was far too late for at least four innocent people.
