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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Thursday marks the first anniversary of the shooting at Apalachee High School that killed four people and injured several others.
Two students, 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, died from their injuries.




Colt Gray, an Apalachee High School student, faces 55 counts, including charges of felony murder, malice murder and aggravated assault for each of the four people killed. His father, Colin, faces 29 counts, including second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to children, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. Police say he knowingly allowed his son to have access to the gun that was allegedly used in the shooting.
Since the tragedy, recovery has looked like students volunteering and giving back to the community that has wrapped its arms around them. This includes students who volunteered throughout the year and into the summer, such as the latest Back to Bold event, their back-to-school event. The county recovery coordinator said they have constructed recovery and recharge rooms, have student therapist, staff support from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, among other initiatives.





The anniversary will be marked by events at both Apalachee High School and the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.
RE-WATCH HERE:
Since the attack, the Barrow County School System has added weapons detection systems and advanced school mapping software, as well as increased the number of school resource officers.
The increase in school resource officers was the source of some infighting between the school board and the county government. The county government initially approved partial salaries for just 12 officers. The school board eventually approved a plan to pay for 24 officers in full: one officer at each grade school and two at each high school.
Some parents think more needs to be done.
“I think right now, we’re just kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel, you know? I think we need to do more,” said Steve Gray, a parent of an Apalachee student.
“Let me be clear: schools need teachers, counselors, mental health support and trained officers who can stop an active shooter. It’s not an either or, it’s both,” said Breanna Schermerhorn, mother of Mason Schermerhorn. Mason was killed in the shooting.
There will be classes at Apalachee on Sept. 4. There will be a day of service, a guest speaker and a focus on physical and emotional health.
Community-elected leaders are hosting a candlelight vigil at the school at 7 p.m. Thursday, followed by a canned food drive and candlelight vigil at the Winder Home Depot parking lot hosted by a Change for Chee at 7 p.m. Friday.
Long-term memorial plans include a community mural and benches.
Even a year after the shooting, the question of what to do with the building where the shooting took place looms large. The district sent out a survey to students at the beginning of the school year. One student said she found the survey “strange.”
“I thought that it was really random. I hadn’t even thought about that, because I didn’t think it was anywhere near like a long enough time to even start thinking about it,” said Sara Uruta, an Apalachee High School junior. “Like my mind was on so many other concerns that I had. So I just didn’t think that it was a priority on anyone’s mind.”
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News Source : https://www.walb.com/2025/09/04/first-anniversary-apalachee-high-shooting-marked-by-remembrances-state-capitol-school/
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