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(WINDER, Georgia) – Two students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, Wednesday morning, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Another nine victims were taken to hospitals with injuries, the GBI said.

The suspect – 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at Apalachee High School – was encountered by officers within minutes, immediately turned himself in and was taken into custody, the GBI said. He will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, the GBI said.

According to authorities, it is unclear whether any of the victims were the victims of a targeted attack.

“My teacher goes to the door and opens it to see what’s going on. Another teacher comes running and tells her to close the door because someone is shooting,” Caldera told ABC News.

He said his teacher locked the door and the students ran to the back of the classroom. Caldera said they heard screams coming from outside as they “crouched down.”

At one point, Caldera said, someone banged on his classroom door and shouted “Open up!” several times. When the banging stopped, he heard more gunshots and screams, Caldera said.

He said his class was later evacuated to the soccer field.

Kyson Stancion said he was in class when he heard gunshots and “heard police yelling, telling someone, ‘There’s a shooting going on here, lie down, go back to the classroom.'”

“I was scared because I had never been to a school shooting before,” he told ABC News.

“Everyone was crying. My teacher tried to ensure everyone’s safety,” he added.

Father Jonathan Mills said he experienced an “emotional rollercoaster” as he and his wife rushed to the school and waited to reach their son Jayden.

It was “exciting” and “overwhelming” to reach Jayden, a junior, and learn that he is OK, Mills told ABC News.

Mills, a police officer, said: “When you grow up in this area, you don’t expect something like this to happen.”

“I have three children. All three go to these types of schools and you never think about it,” he said.

Winder is located about 45 miles outside of Atlanta.

Barrow County schools will remain closed through the end of the week, the superintendent said.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the shooting “pure evil.”

Reactions of politicians

According to the White House, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the shooting.

“Jill and I mourn the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by more senseless gun violence, and think of all the survivors whose lives are forever changed,” Biden said in a statement. “Students across the country are learning to duck and take cover instead of learning to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”

The president highlighted his work to combat gun violence, including signing the bipartisan Promoting Safer Communities Act and establishing the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, but he stressed that more needs to be done.

“After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation,” Biden said. “We must once again ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, mandate safe storage of firearms, implement universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. These measures will not bring back the people tragically killed today, but they will help prevent more tragic gun violence from tearing more families apart.”

Harris said at a campaign rally in New Hampshire: “Our thoughts are with all the students, the teachers and their families.”

“This is just one more senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies,” she said. “We must end this epidemic of gun violence.”

“This is one of the many issues at stake in this election,” Harris said.

“Let’s finally pass an assault weapons ban and universal background checks and red flags,” she said. “It’s a false choice to either be for the Second Amendment or take away everyone’s guns. I’m for the Second Amendment and I know we need common sense gun safety laws in our country.”

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said he was “heartbroken.”

“This is a day every parent dreads, and the people of Georgia will hug their children even tighter tonight because of this painful event,” he said in a statement. “We continue to work closely with local, state and federal partners to provide all available resources to help this community on this incredibly difficult day and in the days ahead.”

In Atlanta, authorities will increase patrols around schools on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement.

“My prayers are with the high school students, staff and families affected by this senseless act of violence,” Dickens said.

This is a developing story, please check back later for updates.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin, Brandon Baur, Faith Abubey and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.

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