Four people were killed and nine others were injured in a devastating shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, Wednesday morning.
The suspect – identified by authorities as 14-year-old student Colt Gray – surrendered at the scene and is expected to be charged as an adult with the murder.
The victims include a popular football coach and a “caring” teen known for his sense of humor.
Richard Aspinwall
Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, taught math and was also an assistant football coach for the Apalachee Wildcats, FOX5 Atlanta reported. He was allegedly gunned down while protecting his students.
Aspinwall was hired as the team’s defensive coordinator just last year, the outlet said.
“It’s just so hard to think that somebody that you spent so much time with, because this is my second year with coach, but spending so much time, like family basically,” Apalachee sophomore Isaiah Hooks said of the crushing loss.
Another Apalachee sophomore, Ariel Bowling, told TODAY that Aspinwall was the “most kindest soul ever.”
“I would just want people to know that he was a really kind-hearted man, and he would, really push you and he was just really hard-working,” she said.
Aspinwall was originally from Rome, Ga., and attended both the University of West Georgia and Kennesaw State University, according to his Facebook page.
He left behind a wife and two young daughters.
“He was a great dad, man, and a great father,” head football coach Mick Hancock told USA Today of his late colleague.
“He loved his two girls and he loved his wife. He did happen to love the game of football and he was well respected around this area.”
Aspinwall was one of Hancock’s first recruits when he took over the Wildcats last season.
He previously worked at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, and at Dunwoody High School in Dekalb County.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of former Mountain View High School teacher and coach Ricky Aspinwall, who lost his life at Apalachee High School today,” the Mountain View High School Athletics team wrote on Facebook after news of the shooting broke.
Buford High School football coach Brandon Gill also posted a photo of himself and Aspinwall on X in a moving tribute to the popular educator.
“Unbelievably heartbroken over the loss of our dear friend @CoachAwall,” he wrote on X.
“He was truly as great as they come. Helluva human being. Would do anything for anyone. Amazing husband, father, teacher and coach. I’ll never forget you, brother! RIP Rick-Bo.”
Christina Irimie
Christina Irimie, 53, taught math at Apalachee and was remembered as a devoted, selfless and engaged member of the community.
“She made you feel welcomed,” student Isaac Sanguma told CBS of the late teacher.
Irimie immigrated to the US from Romania in the 1990s, and was active in Georgia’s expat community, friend Nicolae Clempus told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
She attended two local churches, including Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Church in Dacula, where the pastor described her as someone “you know you can count on.”
Irimie often volunteered at church events by cooking or serving food. She also loved to dance, the outlet said.
She had instructed a traditional Romanian children’s dance group, Clempus said.
“She definitely had a gift to work with young people,” he said of his late friend.
“She was always very joyful, always happy. If you hear somebody laughing, Christina was in the middle of it.”
Irimie went by “Cristina” with family and friends, but used the Anglicized version Christina at work and in daily life, the St. Mary’s pastor said.
Clempus told the Journal-Constitution that he had been texting with Irimie’s husband, who was in shock.
Most of the couple’s family lives in Romania – including Irimie’s mother, who had just visited them over the summer break.
As of Thursday afternoon, a GoFundMe for Irimie’s loved ones was just a few hundred dollars from its $15,000 goal.
Mason Schermerhorn
Mason Schermerhorn, 14, started attending Apalachee High School just a short time before the shooting, a family friend told the New York Times.
He was remembered as a lighthearted kid who loved jokes and was looking forward to an upcoming family trip to Walt Disney World.
Schermerhorn’s loved ones initially circulated photos of him on social media when they could not get in contact after the shooting.
They were worried because the teen had autism, and they wanted to make sure those at the scene could help him cope with the chaos.
One of Schermerhorn’s favorite hobbies was playing video games, FOX5 Atlanta said.
He had recently learned how to play the trumpet.
“He really enjoyed life. He always had an upbeat attitude about everything,” a Schermerhorn’s mother, Doug Kilburn, told the New York Times of the slain teen.
Christian Angulo
Another Apalachee freshman, Christian Angulo, 14, was remembered by friends as a funny kid who was “chill” but was good at making others laugh, according to FOX5 Atlanta.
One friend, Abner Sanz, told the outlet that he had known Angulo since middle school.
“I started asking other people if it was true that he had passed away because I just wanted to know. I was in denial because you would never believe somebody that you knew would pass away just like that,” he said of the moment he learned his pal had been killed.
Angulo’s older sister, Lisette, paid tribute to her brother in a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses.
“He was a very good kid, very sweet, and so caring. He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected,” the grieving sibling wrote.
“We are truly heartbroken. He really didn’t deserve this.”
The fundraiser doubled its initial $30,000 goal in less than 24 hours.
