Tributes are now pouring in for the four victims who were killed in a mass shooting at a Georgia high school.
Two students and two teachers died in the “senseless” violence after a gunman opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder on Wednesday morning.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has now named the victims as Mason Schermerhorn, Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.
At least nine others were also injured in the attack and they are expected to make a full recovery, officials said.
Law enforcement named the suspected gunman on Wednesday night as 14-year-old Colt Gray – a student at the school who surrendered to authorities on the scene. He will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, authorities said.
As family, friends and the community reels from the shooting, loved ones are paying tribute to the victims.
Here’s what we know so far about them:
Christian Angulo
Angulo has been described by friends and family as “a beautiful soul” who was “loved by so many”.
His sister, Lisette Angulo, shared the family’s heartbreak and shock over his death in a GoFundMe.
“Unfortunately my baby brother was one of the victims of the school shooting at Apalachee High School,” she confirmed.
“He was only 14 years old. He was a very good kid and very sweet and so caring. He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected.. We are truly heartbroken.. He really didn’t deserve this.”
The 14-year-old’s family is fundraising to cover the cost of his funeral.
“We kindly ask if you could help us with any donations to help us with expenses for his funeral ceremony due to his loss being so sudden. We appreciate anything you can give. We also would appreciate any prayers at this time,” she said.
Ivonne Lizbeth Infante, who said Angulo is her boyfriend’s nephew, also paid tribute to the teenager on Facebook, calling him a “very sweet” and “kind young man”.
“Always loved having him and his family over and our weekend trips to Costco,” she wrote on Facebook.
“He loved to play with our baby girl. I will forever be grateful for the love and the time spent with us. He didn’t deserve this, none of them did.”
Mason Schermerhorn
As news of the shooting spread on Wednesday, Schermerhorn’s desperate family circulated his photograph on social media as they struggled to get in contact with him,
The teenager was autistic and his family urged anyone who found him to “use a calm voice”. They wrote: “Let him know his mom is looking for him for reassurance.”
Tragically, the family later confirmed Schermerhorn was one of the victims killed in the shooting.
His sister shared a photo of him on social media and said: “Thank you to everyone that shared. Unfortunately my brother did not make it out of the school alive.”
A family friend, Doug Kilburn, told The New York Times that the teenager “really enjoyed life” and “always had an upbeat attitude about everything”.
He enjoyed spending time with his family, playing video games, telling jokes and trips to Walt Disney World, the paper reported.
Richard Aspinwall
Aspinwall was a 39-year-old math teacher at the school as well as the defensive coordinator for the football team, the school’s website reveals.
He was also a father, according to reports on social media.
One person who knew him commented: “Senseless tragedy! One of my sons [sic] best friends and an all round great guy with a family. What is wrong with this world! Praying for his beautiful family and friends.”
Christina Irimie
Irimie, 53, was also a math teacher at the school.
She was described as “an incredible teacher” by a friend in a post on Facebook.
“Christina Irimie was an incredible teacher. I feel blessed to have known her, but she went into her school building today, to teach math because she was amazing at it, and she will never come home to her family and friends,” the friend wrote.
“Do something for Ms. Irimie….Take action for our kids AND the teachers and staff that care about them so much.”
Chris Hosey, the director of the GBI, yesterday praised the staff at the school and said the actions taken prevented the shooting from being a much larger tragedy.
“The heroes that we need to remember is our faculty and staff here at this school,” he said.
“They acted admirably. They were heroes in the actions that they took. The protocols in this school and this system activated today prevented this from being a much larger tragedy than what we had here today so I want to recognize them.”