Community rallies behind Apalachee High shooting victims | FOX 5 News

HOSPITALIZED. WE WANT TO BEGIN THIS HOUR BY HONORING THOSE VICTIMS, THE STUDENTS, BOTH JUST 14 YEARS OLD, BOTH TEACHERS TAUGHT MATH. FOX FIVE'S ERIC PERRY FOLLOWED THIS STORY SINCE THE MOMENT IT BROKE. HE JOINS US LIVE OUTSIDE APPALACHIA HIGH SCHOOL NOW, WHERE CLASSES ARE CANCELED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. ERIC, WHAT IS THE SITUATION THERE TODAY? WHAT'S THE LATEST? YEAH, >>REPORTER: YEAH. ALEX, GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU. REALLY. YOU CAN FEEL IT ALL THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY, ALL THROUGHOUT METRO ATLANTA AS JUST OVER NOW, 25, 26 HOURS SINCE THAT GUNMAN WENT INTO THIS HIGH SCHOOL AND KILLED FOUR PEOPLE, INJURED NINE OTHERS, IT IS ON EVERYONE'S MIND. I WANT TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY TO SHOW YOU WHERE MANY HAVE BEEN GATHERING THIS MORNING. THERE ARE FLOWERS HERE AT THE SIGN. ONCE YOU COME INTO APPALACHIA HIGH SCHOOL, BUT ALSO FURTHER BY THE FLAGPOLE. WHEN I WATCHED IT YESTERDAY BE LOWERED TO HALF STAFF. BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME BALLOONS. YOU CAN SEE SOME FLOWERS. PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER. EARLIER I SAW PEOPLE HOLDING HANDS, HAVING A PRAYER CIRCLE THIS MORNING. LET'S SET THE SCENE VERY DIFFICULT DAY YESTERDAY, BUT WE WANT TO WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR. THAT FIRST CALL CAME IN AROUND 1020 YESTERDAY MORNING. INSIDE OF APPALACHIA HIGH SCHOOL TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. THEY SAY WITHIN MINUTES, THEY ENCOUNTERED THE SHOOTER. NOW IDENTIFIED AS COLT GRAY. THEY SAY THAT HE DROPPED HIS WEAPON AND SURRENDERED AFTER HE WAS CONFRONTED BY FIRST RESPONDERS. SO THIS IS NOT BEFORE THE GUNMAN SHOT AND KILLED FOUR PEOPLE, INJURING NINE OTHERS. NOW, GBI HAS IDENTIFIED THE FOUR PEOPLE AS TWO TEACHERS, RICHARD ASPINWALL AND CHRISTINA ERMEY, AND TWO STUDENTS, MASON SCHERMERHORN AND CHRISTIAN ANGULO, BOTH 14 YEARS OLD. OF COURSE, WE'RE STILL LEARNING THE CONDITIONS OF THOSE NINE OTHERS, BUT BACK OUT HERE YESTERDAY, I SPENT 7 OR 8 HOURS HERE ON THE SCENE TALKING TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS ON WHAT CAN ARGUABLY BE CALLED THE MOST HORRIFIC DAY AND TRAUMATIC DAY OF THEIR LIVES. THEY WALK US THROUGH WHAT THEY SAW, WHAT THEY HEARD. TAKE A LISTEN TO SOME OF THE SOUND THAT WE BROUGHT TO YOU. >>>>: HEARD FOUR GUNSHOTS AND WE ALL JUST, LIKE STOOD, STOOD THERE AND LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND OUR OTHER HEALTH CARE TEACHER CAME IN AND TOLD US TO RUN TO THE CLOSET OR BATHROOM TO HIDE. WE HID THERE FOR LIKE 15 TO 20 MINUTES. HE CAME UP TO MY DOOR OR THE DOOR TO OUR CLASSROOM. CLASSMATE GOT UP, SHE WENT TO OPEN THE DOOR, BUT SHE DIDN'T BECAUSE SHE SAW THAT HE HAD A GUN. SHE ANNOUNCED IT, AS SOON AS SHE ANNOUNCED IT, HE STARTED FIRING. WE ALL WENT INTO THE CORNER, YEAH, WE JUST KIND OF HEARD A LOT OF GUNSHOTS, THEN WE HEARD A LOT OF. AND THEN, LIKE, MAYBE LIKE, THREE MINUTES LATER, WE HEARD POLICE RUNNING IN. YEAH, >>REPORTER: THESE ARE 14, 15 YEAR OLDS THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. WHO CAME FACE TO FACE WITH THE GUNMAN AND SAW HIM. NOW, CLASSES HERE IN THE COUNTY HAVE BEEN CLOSED AND CANCELED FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK HERE. GIVING THESE FAMILIES SOME TIME TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF HEALING AND REALLY COMPREHENDING WHAT IS GOING ON. NOW BACK OUT HERE AT THE SCENE. AS FOR THE SHOOTER, I'M TOLD HE WAS IMMEDIATELY INTERVIEWED. HE WILL BE CHARGED AS AN ADULT. HE IS NOW IN GAINESVILLE AT THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER THERE. BUT REALLY, WE'RE ALSO LEARNING THAT HE WILL MAKE HIS FIRST COURT APPEARANCE. THAT IS NEW WITHIN THE PAST HOUR. TOMORROW MORNING, 8:30 A.M, IS WHEN HE WILL GO BEFORE A JUDGE FOR THE FIRST TIME. OF COURSE WE WILL BE THERE. BUT BACK HERE TODAY, THE FEELING IS ALSO REAL. THE HEAVY HEARTS ALSO REAL PEOPLE CONTINUING TO COME OUT, LAY FLOWERS AND JUST SEE THE SIGHT THAT THEY NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD EVER SEE BEFORE. ALEX. >>ALEX: OKAY, ERIC, WE KNOW SCHOOL IS CLOSED FOR NOW AND WILL BE FOR A WHILE, BUT CAN YOU PAINT A PICTURE OF JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE STOPPING BY AND LAYING WREATHS, PAYING THEIR RESPECTS? YEAH. >>REPORTER: ALEX. SO ABOUT AN HOUR AGO I SAW TWO DOGS. BIG DOGS AT THAT SERVICE, ANIMALS COMING OUT JUST TO DO WHAT THEY CAN WITH THEIR OWNERS. I ASKED THEM QUESTIONS. THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO COME THERE LIVE ABOUT 20 MINUTES AWAY THERE WITH AN ORGANIZATION THAT WITH SITUATIONS LIKE THIS HAPPEN, THEY COME OUT TO GIVE SOME SORT OF RELIEF. SHE WAS VERY POIGNANT IN SAYING, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE, THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE, THEY JUST WANT TO TALK TO AN ANIMAL OR GET THOSE EMOTIONS OUT. SO WE'VE SEEN THINGS LIKE THAT. WE'VE SEEN WATER BEING DISTRIBUTED. WE'VE BEEN SEEING FOOD BEING DISTRIBUTED. THAT WAS YESTERDAY. THAT'S TRANSLATED INTO TODAY. AND THEN WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF TEARS. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF HUGS AS PEOPLE STOOD RIGHT THERE BEHIND ME AT THAT FLAGPOLE, PLACING DIFFERENT BALLOONS AND JUST TRYING TO SOAK IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE TRAUMATIC EVENTS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY. ALEX, THAT >>ALEX: MIGHT BE THE ONLY SILVER LINING HERE IS SEEING THE COMMUNITY COME OUT AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU, ERIC. IS THERE ANY UPDATE YET ON A POSSIBLE MOTIVE HERE? YEAH, >>REPORTER: WE ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT JUST WHAT IT IS THAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS. AT THIS POINT, WE CANNOT CONFIRM A MOTIVE. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ASKED GBI. JUST DIFFERENT QUESTIONS FLOATING AROUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT THE SHOOTER. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT. FOR US TO REPORT IT JUST YET, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE STILL WORKING TO LEARN. BUT HONESTLY, THAT IS WHAT THE NATION WANTS TO KNOW NOW BECAUSE HE IS STILL ALIVE. HE WAS INTERVIEWED.