Texts reveal student's fear during Georgia high school shooting

Text messages between a student and his mother during the Apalachee High School shooting.

Heartbreaking text messages exchanged between a student and his mother during the Apalachee High School shooting on September 4, 2024, provide a glimpse into the chaos and fear experienced by those involved. Erin Clark received a text from her son, Ethan, at 10:23 a.m. stating, "school shooting rn (right now). I'm scared. I'm not joking." Clark replied quickly, assuring him she was on her way. Ethan’s final messages included, "I love you" and a grim update, "someone's dead."

Clark later shared these messages on Facebook, describing the situation as her "worst f***ing nightmare." Ethan, a senior, reported hearing "eight or nine" gunshots before he and another student barricaded their classroom door with furniture.

As the situation unfolded, frantic parents gathered outside the school, many of whom were forced to park up to a mile away and walk to the site. Students were eventually gathered on the football field and were being released to their parents.

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that multiple casualties were reported, with at least four people injured and two fatalities. Authorities have taken one suspect into custody.

A parent waiting for her children described the scene as "very quiet" compared to the initial chaos. Another parent described her experience as a "parent's worst nightmare," noting her daughter was "shaken up but okay" after hearing nearby gunshots.

The school, with approximately 1,900 students, remains a focal point of intense law enforcement activity.