Students from Apalachee High School in Georgia began speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, recalling their terrifying experiences after a school shooting earlier that morning.
Reports indicate four people were killed and nine others hospitalized, according to CNN. As students began to be reunited with their parents, one student told CNN he had heard screaming before the police entered his room.
“Towards the end of it like I heard screaming and they like unlocked my door and came in with the flashlight and the guns and we had to have our hands up and stuff,” the student said.
“Wait, who came with guns? The individuals who were opening fire in the school?” the reporter asked.
The student described his heart “racing” during the incident, noting he couldn’t contact his mother because he didn’t have his phone. (RELATED: Georgia School Shooting Leaves Multiple Dead: REPORT)
“No, not the individuals. The police came and they got us,” the student said. “It was scary, like my heart was kinda racing. I didn’t even have my phone or anything, so I couldn‘t talk to my mom. I was just kind of scared,”
“…I‘ve heard people like their teachers getting shot and they‘re going shot and like barely getting missed by the bullets,” the student continued. “I feel I got pretty lucky — being at a good place at a good time or at a bad time.”
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Another student in the building at the time of the shooting told CNN they heard screaming but “didn’t think much of it,” initially believing it was students “playing around in the hallways.”
” … the noise kept getting louder and louder, and I was like, ‘No, no, guys.’ Like, I told everybody to get down. Get down, because, like, you don’t joke around with that,” the student told the outlet.
An additional student told 11Alive about the moment he heard gunshots, describing how police stormed his classroom and ordered students to put their hands over their heads.
“I thought I was going to die and I was going to go to the bathroom right before it happened and I’m so glad I didn’t because I’d probably be dead right now if I did,” the student told the outlet.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the incident, with Biden calling for an end to the “gun violence epidemic” in a statement.
“Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me. It’s why I signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the most meaningful gun safety bill in decades – and have announced dozens of gun safety executive actions,” Biden wrote. “I also established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. We’ve made significant progress, but this crisis requires even more.”
Harris, speaking to New Hampshire voters, called the attack a “senseless tragedy,” thanking first responders and echoing Biden’s call for gun control.
Former President Donald Trump additionally commented on the attack, posting to Truth Social his condolences for the victims and families of those affected.
“Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA. These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster,” Trump wrote.
Both the FBI and ATF have been confirmed to be on the scene in order to assist local law enforcement as the investigation is ongoing, according to CNN.
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