Woman Says Father Was One of Teachers Shot and Survived

One of the surviving victims of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., has been identified by his daughter.

David Phenix, a special education math teacher, was identified by his daughter, Katie Phenix, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Sept. 4. The Barrow County School District website lists David as working in “curriculum assistance.”

“We are so thankful for all the texts, calls, and messages about my dad, David Phenix,” Katie wrote before noting that he was “shot in the foot and in the hip, shattering his hip bone.” 

“He arrived to the hospital alert and awake. He just got out of surgery and is stable,” she added. “We will update as we hear new information. We are so, so lucky, but please keep our family as well as the AHS family in your prayers. ❤️.”

Eight other wounded were hospitalized and their identities have not been revealed.

Four people were fatally shot, including two students and two teachers. On Wednesday night, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations identified the students as Christian Angulo and Mason Shermerhorn, both 14. The slain teachers were identified as Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, according to local outlets WSBTV and WXIA.

The suspected shooter was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the high school. Gray allegedly wounded more than 30 people.

Authorities said the shooting was reported at 10:23 a.m. on Sept. 4 at the Winder school. Winder is about 50 miles outside Atlanta.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the shooting “pure evil” at a press conference held alongside Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey and other officials.

Smith said that the suspect gave up his weapon after being engaged by a school resource officer and was taken into custody. The suspect has been interviewed by law enforcement and will be charged as an adult, authorities say, adding that the weapon allegedly used was an automatic rifle.

The school was reportedly put on lockdown in the aftermath of the shooting. School Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said schools in the district will remain closed for the rest of the week.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he has directed all available state resources to the school.

President Joe Biden said in a statement shared by the White House Wednesday afternoon that he is “mourning the deaths” of those killed in the shooting and that he is “thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed.”

“What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write,” the president said. “We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”

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Vice President Kamala Harris also made a statement during a public speech on Wednesday, calling the prevalence of gun violence in American schools “outrageous.”

“This is just a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies,” Harris said. “We have to stop it. we have to end this epidemic of gun violence once and for all. You know, it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way at all.”