A shooting Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder forced the closure of schools in Barrow County and resulted in possible injuries.
Apalachee High School administrators sent a message to parents around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday advising that the school “is currently under strict lockdown following reports of gunshots. Police are on site. Please do not attempt to come to school at this time while police are busy securing the area.”
There were no official reports of injuries, but Fox-5 TV in Atlanta reported that one person was seen being loaded into a helicopter and transported to a hospital. WSB-TV reported that a second person was being loaded into an ambulance.
Parents are allowed to pick up their children from school.
According to social media posts from those agencies, both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI have agents on site.
“I have deployed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and I 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,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp wrote on X. “We will continue to work with local, state and federal partners as we gather information and continue to respond to this situation.”
The school is one of two high schools in the Barrow County school system. Other nearby schools have been locked down as a precaution, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said.
Return to this story for updates as more information becomes available. USA Today contributed to this report.
