Another tragic school shooting has claimed the lives of several people. The incident occurred on the morning of the 4th at a high school near Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in at least 4 deaths and 9 injuries, according to AP News. The shooter, shockingly, was identified as a 14-year-old boy.

The incident took place at Apalachee High School, located in Winder, a city 45 miles northeast of Atlanta. The suspect, a 14-year-old student named Colt Gray, was arrested at the scene by local sheriff's deputies. Two of the deceased were teachers and two were students, though authorities have not yet released their full identities. While NBC News reported that over 30 people were injured, these numbers have not been officially confirmed.

The suspect was arrested without resistance after a standoff with the school's security officers, though the motive for the attack remains unclear. Law enforcement is investigating how the suspect obtained the firearm and smuggled it into the school, as well as any potential connections between the suspect and the victims. CNN reported that murder charges are expected to be filed.

As the shooting unfolded, chaos erupted on campus as students and staff fled the scene. Local police and FBI agents responded to the shooting at around 9:30 AM. After the incident, students were gathered at the school's football field and later reunited with their parents. The school has announced that it will remain closed for the rest of the week.

Apalachee High School, with approximately 1,800 students, is located in Winder, a city with a population of about 18,000, 40 minutes by car from the Atlanta Korean community. It is known that few Koreans reside in the area.

With just over two months until the presidential election, this large-scale shooting is expected to reignite the issue of gun control. President Joe Biden, in a statement after the shooting, said, “We cannot continue to consider this normal,” calling on Congress to take action by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, strengthening background checks, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers.

Vice President Kamala Harris, during a campaign stop in New Hampshire, remarked, “It’s outrageous that in America, parents have to worry if their children will return home alive from school every day,” and emphasized the need to “end the epidemic of gun violence once and for all.”

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), before this shooting, there had already been 385 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, averaging 1.5 incidents per day. A mass shooting is defined as an incident where four or more people (excluding the shooter) are killed within 24 hours.