A 14-year-old Mexican American boy was among four people killed during a school shooting in Georgia, United States, on Wednesday.
Christian Angulo, a dual Mexican and U.S. citizen, was one of two students fatally shot at Apalachee High School near Winder, Georgia, during an attack allegedly perpetrated by 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the school.
📷: Mourners pray during a candlelight vigil for the slain students and teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, Sept. 4, 2024.https://t.co/3A5djHkLP8 pic.twitter.com/3gmnD9BWd2
— Voice of America (@VOANews) September 5, 2024
Two teachers were also killed, and eight students and one other teacher were injured.
Colt Gray faces four charges of murder while his father Colin Gray is accused of giving his son access to an AR-15 style rifle.
Those killed were:
- Christian Angulo: a U.S.-born Mexican American, according to Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE).
- Mason Schermerhorn, a 14-year-old student.
- Cristina Irimie, a 53-year-old math teacher originally from Romania.
- Richard Aspinwall, a 39-year-old math teacher and football coach.
The SRE said in a statement on Thursday that officials in the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta “contacted the family of the U.S.-born Mexican American minor who tragically lost his life in the shooting, to provide support and assistance.”
“The consulate is working with local authorities to ascertain the condition and nationality of those hospitalized, and to confirm that no other Mexicans were harmed in the incident,” the SRE said.
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry mourns the loss of the young Mexican American and extends its condolences to the family and the Winder community in the aftermath of this devastating event. The Government of Mexico strongly condemns this act of violence and denounces the continued violence caused by firearms.”
The four victims killed in the Apalachee High School shooting on Wednesday are being remembered by their family, friends and community as kind, compassionate and loving individuals. https://t.co/Fx7rwIj3t7 pic.twitter.com/CmxYqs404E
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) September 6, 2024
On a GoFundMe page set up to raise money to cover the funeral services for Angulo, the boy’s older sister Lisette Angulo said that Christian “was a very good kid and very sweet and so caring.”
“He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected. We are truly heartbroken,” she said. “He really didn’t deserve this.”
Emma Angulo, the victim’s mother, told Univisón Noticias that her son gave her and his father a hug the night before he was killed.
“I’ll always keep it in my heart,” she said.
Emma Angulo said that her son Christian wasn’t given enough time to work out what he wanted to do in life.
“He was just 14 years old, his whole life was taken away, his plans [for the future] and the time to be with us,” she said.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Angulo, an Apalachee High School freshman, “was remembered by friends as a free spirit who loved to make others laugh.”
“The 14-year-old was described as having a ‘chill’ attitude, but was full of life and energy,” the news outlet reported.
The Angulo family lived in California before moving to Georgia 10 years ago. It was unclear where in Mexico the family hailed from.
🙁 poor kid. Rest in peace