911 call recordings and radio messages released in Georgia school massacre investigation

WINDER, Ga. (AP) — According to records released by Barrow County on Friday, a Georgia county emergency dispatch center was overwhelmed with calls about a shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4.

Local news outlets report that many of the 911 calls were not released due to public records requests because state law exempts the release of calls in which the voice of anyone under 18 was recorded. That exemption would affect calls from most of the 1,900 students at the school in Winder, northeast of Atlanta.

Calls spiked around 10:20 a.m. when authorities said 14-year-old Colt Gray began shooting. Many calls were answered with automated messages saying there was a “high volume of calls,” WAGA-TV reported.

A man called 911 after receiving text messages from a friend. He was put on hold for just over 10 minutes because of a flood of calls at the time of the shooting, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

She hears people screaming outside, so I don’t know if those are police officers in the building or – that’s – I don’t know,” he said, adding that she was eventually evacuated from the school.

Other adults also called 911 after their children contacted them.

My daughter is calling me crying. Someone is going ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,'” said one mother. The 911 operator answered, “Ma’am, we have cops out there, OK?”

Parents of students at an elementary school and a middle school in neighboring Apalachee also called 911 for information.

“Sir, my daughter goes to the school next door in Apalachee. Is there a school shooting?” asked a caller.

“We have a very sensitive situation at Apalachee High School right now,” the operator replied. “We have a lot of incoming calls.”

In addition, more than 500 radio messages were exchanged between rescue workers on Friday.

“Active shooter!” an officer yells in an audio clip while speaking to a dispatcher, CNN reported. Another officer responds, “Correct. We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.”

Teachers Richard Aspinwall (39) and Cristina Irimie (53) and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo (both 14) were killed in the shooting. Another teacher and eight other students were injured, seven of them hit by gunfire.

Colt Gray is charged as an adult with four counts of murder, and District Attorney Brad Smith has said he will likely face additional charges in connection with the wounded. Authorities have also filed charges against his father, Colin Gray, alleging he gave his son access to the gun even though he knew or should have known the teenager posed a danger to himself and others.

The 13,000 students at other Barrow County schools returned to class Tuesday. The Apalachee school’s 1,900 students are scheduled to return to class the week of Sept. 23, officials said Friday.