4 killed, 9 injured in shooting at Georgia high school, officials say

UPDATE, 5:39 p.m. ET.: Authorities indicated that the suspect is a 14-year-old male student, and the four killed were two students and two teachers.

GBI Director Chris Hosey said a school resource officer confronted the suspect minutes after the shooting, and he surrendered immediately. He was taken into custody and is being charged as an adult with murder.

“My heart hurts for these kids. My heart hurts for our community,” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith. “But I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county. I want that to be very clear and known. Love will prevail over what happened today.”

UPDATE, 2:47 p.m. ET.: Four are dead and nine others have been taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries after this morning's high school shooting, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI added that the suspect is "in custody and alive," and that reports that the suspect has been ‘neutralized’ are "inaccurate."

Original story below

Georgia police said one suspect is in custody after a high school shooting Wednesday morning that resulted in casualties and injuries.

The shooting was reported at the Apalachee High School in Winder about 10:45 a.m. Winder is about an hour northeast of Atlanta.

'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.'

Administrators sent a message to parents saying the school was "currently in a hard lockdown after reports of gunfire." The message said law enforcement had arrived and cautioned parents against going to the school while officers worked to secure the area.

“Casualties have been reported, however details on the number or their conditions is not available at this time,” the Barrow County Sheriff's Office said in a brief statement.

Grady Hospital in Atlanta received at least one shooting victim from the high school, the Athens Banner-Herald reported, citing a USA Today report.

Officials around 11:30 a.m. said the school had been cleared, and students were being released to their parents.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI said on social media they were at the school to aid in the investigation.

"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," Republican Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on social media.

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

Around 1,900 students attend Apalachee High School; Winder's population is about 18,000. It's one of two high schools in the Barrow County school system, the Banner-Herald reported, adding that the sheriff's office said other nearby schools were placed into lockdown as a precaution.

This is a developing story and has been updated with additional information.

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