Networks Carry Special Reports On Latest School Shooting In Georgia; Four Dead, Nine Hospitalized And 14-Year-Old Suspect In Custody

Networks focused coverage throughout the afternoon today on the latest school shooting, this time in Winder, GA, where a 14-year-old is in custody. Officials said that two students and two teachers were killed, and nine are in local hospitals.

Colt Gray, a student at the school, Apalachee High School, will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, Chris Hosey of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told reporters.

Authorities received a call at about 10:20 a.m. ET about reports of an active shooter and law enforcement was on the scene within minutes, Hosey said. Two school resource officers encountered the shooter soon after the report went out, he said, and once officers encountered Gray, he immediately surrendered.

“The priority right now for us within this investigation is to gather all the facts, and make sure we’re accurate with it, because this is a murder investigation,” he said.

Broadcast networks went with special reports in the noon ET hour, with Norah O’Donnell anchoring for CBS News at 12:41 p.m. ET, with Jared Eggleston on the scene. NBC News’ Lester Holt anchored a special report at 12:15 p.m. ET and then another at 1:18 p.m. ET for a press conference. Diane Macedo anchored during the hour on ABC News. Cable news networks stayed on the story throughout the day, with images of students seeking safety at the school’s football stadium.

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the shootings at a campaign appearance in New Hampshire, telling a rally that “our hearts are with all the students and the teachers and their families, of course, and we are grateful to law enforcement and responders that were on the scene. But this is just a senseless tragedy.”

She added, “Our kids are sitting in a classroom where they should be fulfilling their God-given potential, and some part of their big beautiful brain is concerned about a shooter busting through the door of a classroom. It does not have to be this way.”

Later, Donald Trump posted a message on his social media platform, Truth Social. “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.”

President Joe Biden called the shootings “another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.” He again called for Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and to enact a series of other measures including universal background checks and an end to immunity for gun manufacturers.