'I had so much fear': Students recount shooting at Georgia high school
Four people were killed in the school shooting, authorities said.
Joshua Maloch thought his Georgia high school was holding an active shooter drill when an alarm went off Wednesday morning alerting a school lockdown.
"We all had to get into the corner of my class and duck down," the 10th grader at Apalachee High School in Winder, told ABC News.
"I didn't think it was real, because a lot of times I have drills," he added.
MORE | 2 students and 2 teachers dead in Georgia school shooting; 14-year-old suspect identified
It was when he heard multiple shots ring out that he said feared for his life and was scared his brother and sister might not make it out.
"Everybody was scared, and people were screaming, calling their moms, everything," he said.
Two students and two teachers were killed and another nine victims were taken to hospitals with injuries in the shooting at Apalachee High School, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The suspect -- a 14-year-old male student at the high school -- is in custody, authorities said.
Alexandra Romero, a sophomore at Apalachee High School, told ABC News that students in her classroom began hugging each other while covering during the shooting.
"I was scared. I had so much fear, like I'm still shaking, like I was so scared. I didn't know my like feelings were so heightened. I cried too," she said.
She said that after they were able to leave the classroom, she saw a teacher on the floor and "blood everywhere."
"I'm definitely scared to go back. I talked with my parents and stuff. I don't feel safe going back there for a while," she said. "It's hard to get out of my head, like seeing that body right there."
Senior Sergio Caldera, 17, said he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots.
"My teacher goes and opens the door to see what's going on. Another teacher comes running in and tells her to close the door because there's an active shooter," Caldera told ABC News.
He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the room. Caldera said they heard screams from outside as they "huddled up."
At some point, Caldera said someone pounded on his classroom door and shouted "Open up!" multiple times. When the knocking stopped, Caldera said he heard more gunshots and screams.
He said his class later evacuated to the football field.
Kyson Stancion said he was in class when he heard gunshots and "heard police scream, telling somebody, 'There's a shooting going on, get down, get back in the classroom.'"
"I was scared because I've never been in a school shooting," he told ABC News.
"Everybody was crying. My teacher tried to keep everybody safe," he added.
Sherley Martinez, a 12th grader at the school, said she was in a classroom when she heard gunshots ring out.
"Kids started crying, everyone was freaking out," she told ABC News.
She said she was scared but tried to comfort her classmates.
"I tried to keep everybody comfortable," she said. "I was telling everybody, 'It's going to be OK.'"
"In our small town, we'd never really would expect anything like this to happen," she added.
ABC News' Faith Abubey and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.
Two students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Another nine victims were taken to hospitals with injuries, the GBI said.
The suspect -- 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at Apalachee High School -- was encountered by officers within minutes, and he immediately surrendered and was taken into custody, the GBI said. He will be charged with murder and he will be tried as an adult, the GBI said.
It's not clear if any of the victims were targeted, authorities said.
Senior Sergio Caldera, 17, said he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots.
"My teacher goes and opens the door to see what's going on. Another teacher comes running in and tells her to close the door because there's an active shooter," Caldera told ABC News.
He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the room. Caldera said they heard screams from outside as they "huddled up."
At some point, Caldera said someone pounded on his classroom door and shouted "open up!" multiple times. When the knocking stopped, Caldera said he heard more gunshots and screams.
He said his class later evacuated to the football field.
Kyson Stancion said he was in class when he heard gunshots and "heard police scream, telling somebody, 'There's a shooting going on, get down, get back in the classroom.'"
"I was scared because I've never been in a school shooting," he told ABC News.
"Everybody was crying. My teacher tried to keep everybody safe," he added.
Dad Jonathan Mills said he experienced an "emotional roller coaster" as he and his wife rushed to the school and waited to get ahold of their son, Jayden.
It was "exhilarating" and "overwhelming" to reach Jayden, a junior, and learn he was OK, Mills told ABC News.
Mills, a police officer, said, "Growing up in this area, you don't expect things like that to happen."
"I have three children. All three of them go to this cluster of schools, and you never think about that," he said.
Winder is about 45 miles outside of Atlanta.
Barrow County Schools will be closed through the end of the week, the superintendent said.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the shooting "pure evil."
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the shooting, according to the White House.
"Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed," Biden said in a statement. "Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal."
The president highlighted his work to combat gun violence, including signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law and launching the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. But he stressed that more must be done.
"After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say 'enough is enough' and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation," Biden said. "We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart."
Harris said at a campaign event in New Hampshire, "Our hearts are with all the students, the teachers and their families."
"This is just a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies," she said. "We have to end this epidemic of gun violence."
"This is one of the many issues that's at stake in this election," Harris said.
"Let us finally pass an assault weapons ban and universal background checks and red flag laws," she said. "It is a false choice to say you are either in favor of the Second Amendment, or you want to take everyone's guns away. I am in favor of the Second Amendment, and I know we need reasonable gun safety laws in our country."
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, "I'm devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. The Justice Department stands ready to provide any resources or support."
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp added that he is "heartbroken."
"This is a day every parent dreads, and Georgians everywhere will hug their children tighter this evening because of this painful event," he said in a statement. "We continue to work closely with local, state, and federal partners to make any and all resources available to help this community on this incredibly difficult day and in the days to come."
In Atlanta, authorities will "bolster patrols" around schools on Wednesday "out of an abundance of caution," Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement.
"My prayers are with the high school students, staff and families affected by the senseless act of violence," Dickens said.
So far in 2024 there have been 385 mass shootings as of September 4, including this latest one in Georgia, according to the ABC News data team.
This is Georgia's 16th mass shooting so far this year.
This time last year there were 485 mass shootings.
The Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one with four or more people injured or killed - not including the perpetrator - counted 656 Mass Shootings in 2023, 646 in 2022, 689 in 2021 and 610 in 2020.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News' Josh Margolin and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.
