Text messages exchanged between a student at Apalachee High School and his mother have provided a harrowing glimpse into the moments when students learned of an active shooter on campus Wednesday morning.
Erin Clark received a message from her son, Ethan, at 10:23 a.m. stating, “school shooting rn (right now). I’m scared. I’m not joking.” Clark immediately responded, assuring her son she was leaving work. In a poignant exchange, Ethan wrote, “I love you,” to which his mother replied, “Love you too baby. Where are you?”
Ethan informed his mother he was in class and added, “someone’s dead.” NBC News has reported that two people have died and at least four more are injured in the incident at the Winder, Georgia, school.
The Burrow County Sheriff’s office confirmed that multiple casualties have been reported and one person has been taken into custody. Apalachee High School, located about 25 miles west of Athens, has approximately 1,900 students.
Clark later shared the exchange on social media, describing the ordeal as her “worst nightmare.” She reported that her son, a high school senior, heard “eight or nine” gunshots before his classroom door was closed and barricaded with chairs and tables by students.
As the situation unfolded, frantic parents gathered at the school, waiting for their children to be released. Reports indicate that students were moved to the school’s oval and are being released to parents.
One parent, who was waiting for her friend to pick up her children, described the scene in a live social media video: “It is very quiet. It was very loud when I first got here and now it’s very, very quiet. They say they’re going to release kids to parents but I haven’t seen anyone start walking this way.”
The woman noted the overwhelming police presence, saying, “There are so many police I can’t even tell you. The road is just completely blocked all the way up.”
News sources on the scene reported that distressed parents had to park up to a mile away from the grounds and make their way on foot to reach their children.
Another parent, echoing the sentiment of it being a “parent’s worst nightmare,” said her daughter was “shaken up but okay.” She added, “To hear my baby crying and saying she is scared, I felt helpless because I could not get to her. The shooting happened very close to her classroom. So close that she heard gunshots.”
As the community grapples with this tragedy, law enforcement continues to investigate the incident. School officials and local authorities are expected to provide more information as it becomes available.
The shooting at Apalachee High School adds to the ongoing national conversation about school safety and gun violence in educational institutions.
