A 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school and killed four people on Wednesday, authorities said, sending students scrambling for shelter in their classrooms — and eventually to the football stadium — as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if their children were safe.
The dead were identified as two students and two teachers, and at least nine other people were taken to hospitals with injuries.
The suspect, a student at Apalachee High School in Winder, about an hour’s drive from Atlanta, was taken into custody, authorities said, and was being charged as an adult with murder.
Helicopter video from WSB-TV showed dozens of police and emergency vehicles surrounding the school in Barrow County, about 50 miles (80km) north-east of Atlanta.
The school campus was placed in lockdown after shots were heard at around 10.30am on Wednesday.