Georgia high school where deadly shooting happened gets wave of emotional responses from football rivals

A mass shooting at Apalachee High School Wednesday in north central Georgia has left four people dead and nine injured, officials said.

Apalachee High School, located about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, had students and faculty evacuate the building and move to the school's football field, where many students huddled in a prayer circle. 

The Apalachee High School football team lost its home opener 49-7 to Cherokee Bluff Aug. 27. The football team is scheduled to return to the field for its fourth game of the year against Monroe Area, but the status of the game is unknown.

Several of the school's football rivals and even a local college expressed support and prayers through social media for the Winder, Georgia, high school in the aftermath of Wednesday's shooting.

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Apalachee is off to an 0-3 start to the season in the second year under the leadership of head coach Mike Hannock. The team went winless in Hannock's first season in 2023 and in 2022. The team's last win came in November 2021, a 34-28 victory over Jackson County in the season finale.

Gunfire broke out at the school just before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The suspected shooter is in custody and is believed to be a 14-year-old boy. It's unclear if the suspect is a student at the school. 

LIVE UPDATES: DEADLY SHOOTING AT GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith declined to provide details about the suspect or victims during a brief press conference.

"We are asking for your patience. … Please let us get the facts that we need to make sure we get this right," Smith told reporters. "This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened."

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters he has directed all the resources he can to help.

"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," Kemp said. 

"We will continue to work with local, state and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation."

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