A Place of Learning Turned To Mourning

A student went to school on September 4th with a gun wrapped in a poster board and a knife. The  student went to his 1st period and his teacher asked about the poster board sticking out of his bookbag. He responded with an answer that spiked some curiosity from the teacher. He went to his 2nd period and asked to go to the counselor's office.

38 seconds later, 4 people were killed and the student was in handcuffs.

The Apalachee school shooting was 1 of 83 school shootings in 2024. School shootings are a common American occurrence. Numerous families have lost loved ones in a place where they went to learn or help others learn. The Apalachee shooting not only devastated those in Barrow county and surrounding counties; it magnified the increasing epidemic of gun violence in our nation.

Photo taken by Jennifer Wiley; Apalachee played their first football game against the Jackson County Panthers since the shooting

The Day of the Shooting

There were about 2000 students and 120 staff members inside Apalachee High School that day. Everyone thought it was just a regular, sleepy Wednesday. That’s until students heard a loud bang sound from the hall that woke everyone up.

“I thought it was a drill at first then I realized it wasn't,” said Alina Tello, a senior at Apalachee. Tello has been a part of the Barrow County school system since elementary school. She is involved in many different extracurriculars including being a part of the Apalachee girls soccer team.

“I never thought that someone would shoot up my school. You hear about it all the time on the news, but then it actually happens at your school.” Tello went to school that day and never would’ve guessed what would happen.

Tello was in her 2nd period class when she heard the gunshots. “I heard them but I thought it was a kid being stupid in the hall,” Tello tells me. “I think I blacked out because I couldn’t grasp what was actually happening.” J hall is where the terror took place, but it trailed into the minds of students after.

Tello experienced anxiety like never before when she went back to school after the shooting. “There’s no chance of it happening again here, but no one would’ve guessed it happening the first time around,” Tello expressed. “In this county, everybody knows someone with a gun.”

Quick Access to Firearms

Every 11 minutes,  someone is killed by a gun. Because of the easy access to a firearm, more people are deciding to buy one.

Photo taken by Alina Tello; the community of Apalachee gathered a few days after shooting

Whether you are old enough to buy one, you might still have access to one. 43% of American households own a gun, and that number is only increasing. The Apalachee shooter’s father had a firearm and even allowed his son to possess one of his own. The firearm he brought to Apalachee was an AR-15. An AR-15 was also used in the Uvalde and Sandy Hooks shootings. “The original AR firearm was made for military,” says Chief Deputy of Barrow County, Micheal Hamm.

Hamm has been a part of the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office for over 20 years. He was present the day of the shooting. “I would say he had numerous rounds, preloaded rounds of attack,” Hamm says. Hamm, along with fire units and aid, arrived at the scene in less than 6 minutes after the first shot.

Getting the Job Done

Active shooter drills are fresh on Hamm’s mind due to his department’s constant practice. The day of the shooting, they kicked into gear. “My mindset was to go in there, make sure the threat was secured, and make sure the injured got evacuated out fast,” Hamm tells me. “We made sure all the kids got out of the school… for them to be reunited with their families. That was our goal.”

A Plan of Action

Within that 20 minutes and 22 second time frame after the first shot, students and staff were evacuated out of the building. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA), along with local police departments, have a plan of action for situations like the Apalachee shooting. “The exercise was 2 years in the making…Year 1 was planning sessions and table top exercises and year 2 was planning training in full skill exercise.” Hamm said.

Every law enforcement officer at the scene knew exactly how to handle the situation because of the exercises they developed. Because of this, 4 of the 9 victims that were shot survived due to aid arriving to the scene as quickly as they did. “The benefits of us doing this training helped establish command structure for the day of the incident,” says Hamm.

The Future of Gun Safety

The Apalachee school shooting was one of the deadliest tragedies of 2024. One of countless school shootings in America. As our nation shifts leadership, the likelihood of a pro-gun legislation is high. The access to a firearm is increasing and, as we already know, will result in more deaths of students, teachers, and faculty. As the future of gun violence remains unknown, prioritizing gun safety in school is vital.