School shooting: Parents and students share heartbreaking messages during deadly shooting at Georgia high school

School shooting: The intense terror and uncertainty that students felt during the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning was evident in their frantic texts to their parents.

Henry, Becky Van Der Walt’s junior son, sent her a terrifying message just before 10:30 a.m. Henry texted, “I think there’s a school shooting.”

“We heard cops yelling and bullets… Everyone is under strict lockdown. Henry wrote another short but heartfelt message eight minutes later, saying, “I love you.”

In a similar vein, Erin Clark, the mother of another student at Apalachee High, got a disturbing text from her son, Ethan. Ethan wrote, “School shooting… I’m scared.” “Please, I’m not kidding.” Ethan responded with a straightforward but sincere “I love you” when Clark told him that she was quitting her job to be with him.

Another unsettling message was sent to Sonya Turner, who had just arrived home after dropping her daughter Abby off at school. From her biology class, Abby texted, “There’s a real lockdown.” I’m not sure how to put it. Shots were heard, but not now.

The messages were sent just after a 14-year-old pupil is said to have opened fire at the school, leaving four people dead and nine injured. There are other accusations against the defendant, including four counts of criminal murder. Two children, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn and 14-year-old Christian Angulo, as well as two instructors, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, are among the fatalities.

Turner, who also has a nine-year-old son, called her husband right away and begged him to get to the school right away, telling him, “It’s real.” Proceed. Proceed. Proceed. She spent the next hour glued to her phone, making sure her girls were okay and sending consolation and prayers via text.

“Where have you hidden yourself?” Abby responded to Turner’s text message with, “I’m behind a long desk.” Turner kept asking where her kid was and told her to remain still and pray. “No, I’m immobile. “I’m not saying to mo[v]e,” answered Abby. Turner attempted to give comfort throughout the pandemonium by sending messages that were full of directives and prayers.

Despite their injuries, Abby Turner, Ethan Clark, and Isabella, Turner’s second daughter, are said to have survived the shooting. The messages exchanged between parents and kids provide a moving window into the terrifying experience of individuals who were affected by the violence as the inquiry progresses.