Four dead, nine injured in Georgia school shooting

UPDATE (2:28 PM): Authorities provided an update on the shooting, where four people were killed and nine people were hospitalized.

The suspect is also in custody.

"First and foremost, I want to lift up our community. I want to give our sympathies to our community, our school system, our kids, our parents that had to witness this today, obviously what you see behind us is an evil thing today. At about 9:30 this morning, we received the first call that there was an active shooter on this campus. We're not releasing any information as far as injuries, but we have multiple injuries.

This is a very, very fluid investigation. It's very early, and I have asked the assistance of the GBI and the agencies here behind me today, and there are multiple agencies that responded this morning to help us and help the sheriff's office.

We do have a suspect in custody, and we are asking for your patience as the media to please let us get the facts that we need to make sure we get this right.

Again, I've asked the GBI to help us, the sheriff's office to help us along with this. I know this is not what you want to hear, but I'm not going to answer questions after this is over with, but I wanted to give you the respect and our community respect to let them know what was going on initially.

we're in the process of reunifying our students with their parents. Obviously, that's chaotic, but we want to be respectful of them and their privacy as well.

I want to thank the state, the federal agencies, the local agencies that showed up today, as you can see, the multiple EMS and fire from other agencies that responded today,

Again, I ask that you lift up Barrow County Schools. Lift up Apalachee. Lift up our agencies.

This is going to take multiple days for us to get answers as to what happened and why this happened, but I wanted to give you a statement.

It is our hope, in conjunction with these people behind us, that we can give you another statement around four o'clock, because I know you have to go back on the air. That is my hope.

But I wanted to be fluid with you all understanding that it's fluid as well this investigation, I appreciate you being patient with us.

Again, it's very active and is ever developing. Every minute is developing on what we're finding.

So we're going to have releases from other schools.

Again, we ask that you be patient with us. Please be patient with us, and hopefully I can give you more information, or more better information, if you will, this afternoon.

Thank you all for coming out here. We'll be back shortly, okay."

Jud Smith, Barrow County Sheriff

WINDER, Ga. (CNN, KYMA/KECY) - Police are responding to a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) confirms one suspect is in custody and, according to sources, two people are dead and four people are injured.

According to a source at a local hospital, they are receiving patients with gunshots wounds.

There were ambulances and a large police presence at the school, and at least one medical helicopter airlifted a patient out.

An FBI spokesperson said agents responded to the school to assist local law enforcement.

The school was reportedly initially placed on hard lockdown. The Barrow County School System said students were cleared to leave the building and parents were notified to pick them up.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp directed resources to the school to assist with the response.