The family of a 14-year-old boy with autism who was killed in a Georgia school of Wednesday issued a desperate plea on social media for people to approach him calmly as they were unable to reach him in the aftermath of the rampage.
In an attempt to find Mason Schermerhorn as news of the deadly school shooting circulated, his desperate relatives began circulating his photo online.
His sister Lilianah urged the public via an Instagram story to ‘PLEASE use a calm voice with him’ and to ‘let him know his mom is looking for him for reassurance’.
But shortly after, Mason was tragically identified as one of the four people killed at Apalachee High School, with a loved one saying after his passing it is ‘sad we can’t even send our babies to school and them be safe’.
He enjoyed spending time with his family, reading, telling jokes, playing video games and visiting Disney World, his family told The New York Times. Another loved one said: ‘Beautiful Mason we are so sorry! (America) failed you… Hug your children!’
Mason Schermerhorn’s desperate relatives shared a photo of him on social media after they were unable to reach the teen following the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia
Students and parents walk off campus at Apalachee High School
People attend a vigil at Jug Tavern Park following a shooting at Apalachee High School
He had only just recently joined the school.
Another 14-year-old student Christian Angulo and teachers Christina Irmie, 53, and Richard Aspinall, 39, were killed in the shooting, allegedly by 14-year-old suspect Colt Gray.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Gray immediately surrendered when confronted by law enforcement, and ‘gave up and got on the ground.’
At least nine others were injured in the horror shooting in Winder, Georgia.
Special education teacher David Phenix was the first to be pictured. Phenix was shot in the hip and foot, but survived the tragedy.
Following his arrest, Gray will be charged with murder and will be tried as an adult, the Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Mason Schermerhorn, 14, an autistic student at Apalachee High School, was the first victim to be identified. He was among four people killed in the mass shooting
Teacher Richard Aspinwall was named as one of the four victims of the shooting
Teacher Christina Irimie was also identified as a victim
Student Christian Angulo, 14, also lost his life in the senseless shooting
The first victim of the shooting, special education teacher David Phenix, has been pictured. Phenix was shot in the hip and foot, but survived the tragedy
According to law enforcement, Gray opened fire at approximately 10:23am, hitting at least 13 people as frantic scenes took over the school.
Images showed students streaming out onto the campus as terrified parents raced to find their children, with one mother describing the scene outside the school as pure ‘chaos.’
A junior at the school, Lyela Sayerath, said she was sat next to Colt Gray in algebra class minutes before he began the shooting spree.
She told CNN that Colt left the classroom at the beginning of their class at 9:45am, around half an hour before active shooter alerts sounded.
Gray didn’t take a bathroom pass, she said, leading her to initially think he was merely skipping class – before a loudspeaker announcement told teachers to check their emails.
Shortly after, Sayerath said Gray returned outside their classroom, and a student got up to open the door for him before jumping back at the sight of his gun.
‘I guess he saw we weren’t going to let him in. And I guess the classroom next to me, their door was open, so I think he just started shooting in the classroom,’ she said.
Sayerath said Gray proceeded to fire off a number of bullets ‘one after another’, adding: ‘When we heard it, most people just dropped to the floor and like kind of crawled in an area like piled on top of each other.’
A huge police presence descended on Apaleechee High School in Winder, Georgia on Wednesday after at least 13 people were shot, four fatally
A junior at the school, Lyela Sayerath, said she was sat next to Colt Gray in algebra class minutes before he began the shooting spree
Heartbreaking messages between a student at Apalachee High School and his mom have revealed the moment kids learned there was an active shooter
Students and parents walk off campus at Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder
Police officers on the scene of a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia
An ambulance departs Apalachee High School after a shooting at the school
Gray had been on the FBI’s radar a year before the tragedy.
Read More
FBI questioned Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray last year
The federal agency said it interviewed accused gunman Colt Gray, 14, and his father last year following ‘several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time.’
Officials said Gray ‘denied making the threats online’ at the time, and the only action taken was to warn local schools to ‘continually monitor’ the troubled teen.
As information floods in on the school shooting – officially the deadliest in Georgia’s history – students and parents shared their shock at the horror that unfolded.
One mother, Erin Clark, shared the text exchange she had with her son Ethan from the moment he learned there was an active shooter at his school.
He wrote: ‘school shooting rn (right now). I’m scared. I’m not joking.’
Students and faculty as well as community members gather for a vigil after a shooting at Apalachee High School
People gather during a vigil for the victims of a school shooting that took place earlier today at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, USA, 04 September 2024. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation four people were killed, nine people were injured, and the suspect is in custody
Parents walk their child out of Apalachee High School after a shooting at the school on Wednesday
His mom responded instantly, assuring him that she was leaving work. In a heartbreaking response, Ethan wrote: ‘I love you.’
‘Love you too baby. Where are you?’ Clark said. Ethan told her that he was in class, adding ‘someone’s dead.’
Many students filmed the aftermath, with one shaken grandfather revealing his granddaughters ‘were led out past blood and victims’ after the shooting.
‘They heard the shots, had SWAT come in guns drawn in their room looking for shooters,’ James Shappard said. ‘No kid should have to go through that.’