Ashlyn Gosa, a senior at Apalachee High School in Georgia, was in class when she said she heard multiple rounds go off outside her door.
“Everyone in my class knew exactly what it was and everyone immediately dropped to the ground,” the 17-year-old told ABC News.
Gosa said she hid under her teacher’s desk, which was in direct view of the classroom door.
A medical helicopter is seen in front of Apalachee High School after a shooting at the school, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Mike Stewart/AP
The shooting suspect “came to our door and just, like, banging frantically on the door, shaking the door handle trying to get in,” she said. “I’d never seen him before, but I knew he wasn’t in our class, so I knew it wasn’t a student trying to get back in.”
Gosa said her mom called her when she was under the desk. The teen answered, saying she whispered, “Mom, there’s a shooter.”
“I told her I was alive,” Gosa said. “And I was just scared that if that door or that lock gave in at any second, that it probably would’ve been the end for all of us.”
A mother and her children bow their heads in prayer at a vigil for the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting at Jug Tavern Park in Winder, Ga., on Sept. 4, 2024.
Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images
The suspect then moved on from their room, Gosa said, and the teacher pushed a filing cabinet in front of their door as a barricade.
“SWAT came and got us. We were told to walk out into the hallway with our hands up,” Gosa said.
While being evacuated, the teenager said she saw a victim on the ground surrounded by “a huge pool of blood.”
Two teachers and two students were killed in Wednesday morning’s shooting in Winder. Nine people were injured.
Two days later, Gosa said she still feels numb and “can hear the gunshots plain as day.”
“You never think it’ll be your school until it is,” she said.
“The fact that it happened just makes you feel really unsafe,” she added.
Cars are parked on the sides of a road as law enforcement officers work at the scene of a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, Sept. 4, 2024.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
The 14-year-old suspect, student Colt Gray, is charged with four counts of felony murder. More charges will be filed, prosecutors said.
The teen’s father, Colin Gray, was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the GBI said. Colin Gray is accused of “knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said.
On a typical school day at Apalachee High School in Georgia, students and teachers were going about their usual routines when suddenly, chaos erupted. A shooting suspect had entered the school grounds and was making his way through the hallways, causing panic and fear among the students and staff.
One teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared her harrowing experience of that day. She was in her classroom with her students when they heard loud banging on the door. At first, they thought it was just a student playing a prank, but when the banging continued and grew more frantic, they realized something was terribly wrong.
The teacher quickly ushered her students to the back of the classroom and locked the door, hoping to keep them safe from whatever danger was lurking outside. As the banging grew louder and more insistent, she could feel her heart racing and her hands shaking with fear.
In a moment of sheer terror, the shooting suspect burst into the classroom, brandishing a weapon and demanding to be let in. The teacher and her students huddled together in fear, not knowing if they would make it out alive. Miraculously, the suspect eventually left the classroom without harming anyone inside.
After the ordeal was over and the suspect was apprehended by law enforcement, the teacher and her students were left shaken but grateful to have survived such a traumatic experience. They were comforted by the support of their community and the swift response of the authorities in handling the situation.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the harsh reality of gun violence in schools and the importance of being prepared for such emergencies. It also highlights the bravery and resilience of teachers and students who must face these terrifying situations head-on.
As the Apalachee High School community continues to heal from this traumatic event, they are committed to coming together to support one another and ensure the safety and well-being of all students and staff. The survivor’s story serves as a powerful testimony to the strength and courage that can be found in the face of adversity.
