Officials release names of Georgia high school shooting victims

Officials have identified those slain in an Atlanta-area high school Wednesday, as well as the alleged shooter, as the investigation continues amid calls for action from Democratic politicians.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced late Wednesday the names of the two Apalachee High School students and two teachers who were killed earlier that day. Authorities also released the name of the 14-year-old suspect in custody, who was reportedly a student at the school.

“Two students and two teachers died in the shooting at Apalachee High School earlier today,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The GBI said the deceased students are Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and the deceased teachers are Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Nine more people were injured, according to officials.

Chalkboard News does not publish the names of school shooters to reduce their notoriety and promote future student safety, but the GBI named the 14-year-old on its X account. GBI Director Chris Hosey said the suspect was a student at Apalachee High School, according to CBS News.

CBS also reported that the state would treat the suspect as an adult, but state officials said he was being held Wednesday in a juvenile detention center.

The shooting drew calls from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for measures to reduce gun violence.

“After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation,” President Joe Biden said in a statement posted on X. “We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers.”

“These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart,” Biden wrote.

Harris called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” and said that it “doesn’t have to be this way.”

“We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all,” Harris said in a post on X.

Automatic weapons have never been legal for citizens to own and use. Georgia does not require permits for the purchase of firearms, according to the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit that advocates for gun control, ranks Georgia near the bottom of all states for measures restricting access to guns.

“Georgia has some of the weakest gun laws in the country,” Everytown says on its Gun Law Rankings page for the state. “The legislature passed a law requiring colleges and universities to allow guns on campus in 2017, and in 2022, Georgia repealed its last foundational policy by passing permitless carry legislation.”

Former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump focused on the families and the suspect.

“Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” Trump wrote on the social media platform TruthSocial. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement Wednesday that he and his family are “heartbroken” over the tragedy.

“This is a day every parent dreads, and Georgians everywhere will hug their children tighter this evening because of this painful event,” Kemp said. “We continue to work closely with local, state, and federal partners to make any and all resources available to help this community on this incredibly difficult day and in the days to come.”