He Was Attempting to Crawl Back to Us

In a tragic incident at Apalachee High School in Georgia, a gunman opened fire, resulting in the death of math teacher and football coach Richard Aspinwall. The attack sent waves of fear throughout the school as students took immediate action by barricading their classroom doors.

Stephanie Reyna, 17, recalled the moment the chaos erupted, stating that the students heard loud banging on the lockers outside their classroom. Brayan Maldonado, also 17, described the sounds as if someone had been pushed against a locker.

Amidst the commotion, Aspinwall opened the classroom door to assess the situation. “We heard some popping sounds,” Reyna said. “We just stopped; we froze; we didn’t know what was going on. So, we all ran to the back of the classroom and hid in the corner.”

Reyna and her 17 classmates remained on the ground for several tense minutes. As more popping sounds echoed, they realized the classroom door remained ajar.

Maldonado shared that he began to hear labored breathing and groans. The terrifying moment escalated when students saw Aspinwall lying in the doorway, struggling to crawl back to them. Reyna expressed her distress, saying, “He was just there, in the doorway, just laying there. He was trying to crawl back to us.”

As time passed, Maldonado described hearing Aspinwall’s final breaths. “A couple of minutes passed by. He’s taking his breaths, and then we hear his final breaths,” he recalled.

In an act of bravery, a classmate finally mustered the courage to stand and pull Aspinwall’s body into the safety of their classroom. This inspired Maldonado to join him, and together they quickly secured the door, barricading it with furniture.

“We were just putting anything we possibly could to make sure [the shooter] couldn’t get in,” Maldonado explained. Once they barricaded the door, the reality of the situation began to set in, and they attempted to comfort their fellow students.

Many of Reyna’s classmates were in distress; some hyperventilating and others crying. Maldonado described trying to keep everyone calm, which eventually helped him regain control of his own feelings of panic.

First responders soon arrived on the scene to evacuate students to safety before relocating them to the football field. In the horrifying incident on September 4, 2024, Aspinwall, teacher Christina Irimie, and two students lost their lives, while nine others sustained injuries.

The alleged gunman, a 14-year-old student named Colt Gray, surrendered to school resource officers at the scene and was subsequently taken into custody. Gray faces four counts of felony murder and is set to stand trial as an adult, although authorities have not yet disclosed a motive for the shooting.

The tragic event has left a profound impact on the community and has raised significant concerns about school safety. Mourning has arisen among students and staff as they grapple with the loss of their beloved teacher and classmates.

In remembrance, gatherings and candlelight vigils have taken place, providing a space for the community and students to unite in support of one another during this challenging time. As details continue to emerge, the focus remains on healing and supporting those affected by this senseless act of violence.

Source: ABC News