WINDER: At least four people died and nine were wounded in a high school shooting in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday, law enforcement authorities said, with a suspect taken into custody.

After the latest chapter of America’s gun violence crisis, people gathered at a sports field outside Apalachee High School, some forming a circle with their arms linked.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said four people had been killed. There was no immediate word on a motive.

“An additional nine taken to various hospitals with injuries. Suspect in custody and alive. Reports that the suspect has been ‘neutralized’ are inaccurate,” the bureau said in a social media post.

Earlier, school authorities were reported to have sent a message to parents saying they were enforcing a “hard lockdown after reports of gunfire.” After the all-clear was given, parents were invited to the school to be reunited with their children, with long lines of vehicles visible outside.

The school is located near the town of Winder, about 45 miles (70 kilometres) northeast of Atlanta, the state capital. US President Joe Biden said he was mourning the dead.

“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 said, referring to the frequency of such attacks across the country.

School shootings have become a sadly regular occurrence in the United States, where about a third of adults own a firearm and regulations on purchasing even powerful military-style rifles are lax.

Polls show a majority of voters favor stricter controls on the use and purchase of firearms, but the powerful gun ownership lobby is opposed to additional restrictions and lawmakers have repeatedly failed to act.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024