A boy accused of killing 4 folks at his highschool in Georgia was interviewed final 12 months by police about nameless on-line threats, the FBI has mentioned.
Colt Grey, 14, denied to police in Could 2023 he was behind web posts that contained photographs of weapons, warning of a college capturing.
The suspect opened hearth on Wednesday at Apalachee Excessive College within the metropolis of Winder, killing two academics and two pupils, investigators say. Eight college students and one trainer have been injured.
He was arrested on campus and will likely be prosecuted as an grownup.
Police have recognized the victims as academics Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall and 14-year-old college students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo.
In a information convention, Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Chris Hosey mentioned the gun used was an “AR-platform type weapon”.
In a press release, the FBI mentioned its Nationwide Risk Operations Heart had alerted native legislation enforcement in Could 2023 after receiving nameless tips on “on-line threats to commit a college capturing at an unidentified location and time”.
The company mentioned that inside 24 hours investigators had decided that the threats originated in Georgia.
Sheriff’s deputies interviewed the boy and his father, who “said he had looking weapons in the home, however the topic didn’t have unsupervised entry to them”, the FBI mentioned.
The suspect, who was 13 years previous on the time, denied making the web threats and officers “alerted native faculties for continued monitoring of the topic”.
“On the time, there was no possible trigger for an arrest or to take any further legislation enforcement motion on the native, state or federal ranges,” added the FBI assertion.
Sheriff Jud Smith described the assault as “pure evil” and mentioned officers have been on scene inside minutes of receiving 911 calls at 10:20 native time (14:20 GMT).
Two officers assigned to the college “instantly encountered the topic”, the sheriff mentioned, including that the boy “instantly surrendered”.
The boy has been interviewed and spoke with investigators as soon as whereas in custody, Sheriff Smith mentioned.
The sheriff added that no motive had been recognized and that legislation enforcement didn’t know of “any targets at this level”.
College students described chaotic scenes as alerts went out that an attacker was on campus. Lessons at Apalachee started final month, however many college students throughout the US are returning to colleges this week.
Lyela Sayarath, who was within the alleged attacker’s class, advised CNN that the suspect left the room firstly of an algebra lesson.
She mentioned he got here again and knocked on the door, which had locked robotically, however one other scholar refused to let him in after noticing he had a gun.
Lyela advised CNN the attacker then went to the classroom subsequent door, the place he started capturing.
Marques Coleman, 14, mentioned he noticed the attacker holding a “massive gun” simply earlier than the capturing started.
“I bought up, I began operating, he began capturing like, like 10 occasions. He shot at the least 10 occasions,” he advised CBS Information, the BBC’s US associate.
“My trainer began barricading the door with desks,” he mentioned.
After standing up, the pupil mentioned he noticed “certainly one of my classmates on the bottom bleeding so dangerous”, one other woman shot within the leg and a good friend shot within the abdomen.
A vigil was held on Wednesday night within the metropolis of 18,000 residents about 50 miles (80km) from Atlanta.
This was the twenty third US faculty capturing of 2024, in accordance a database maintained by journal Schooling Week, which counts 11 useless and 38 injured in such assaults to this point this 12 months.
David Riedman, who runs the Ok-12 College Taking pictures Database, advised Reuters information company that the capturing in Georgia was the primary “deliberate assault” at a college throughout this autumn time period.