Kemp designates school shooting anniversary as ‘Apalachee Remembrance Day’
Victims, families and Barrow County officials joined Gov. Brian Kemp at the state Capitol on Thursday to commemorate the second anniversary of the Apalachee High School shooting, a somber gathering held just over a month after the perpetrator pleaded guilty and was sentenced.
At the ceremony, Kemp issued a proclamation to designate Friday as Apalachee Remembrance Day in Georgia.
Georgians who came together to support the community in the aftermath “knew that this community would come back stronger,” Kemp said. He added: “The children they teach would learn, play sports and live their lives to the fullest, because that is truly the best way to honor those that we have lost.”
A 14-year-old student opened fire at the school on Sept. 4, 2024, killing two students and two teachers and injuring several more before he was taken into custody by law enforcement.
Math teacher Ana Cristina Irimie, football coach Ricky Aspinwall, and freshman students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn lost their lives in the school shooting — the deadliest in Georgia history. The incident rocked the small Winder community about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Apalachee High’s principal, Jessica Rehberg said during Thursday’s ceremony she is “humbled to represent a community that I love, a group of special people and their loved ones.” She then read Kemp’s proclamation.
Earlier this summer, victims, families and students attended several days of hearings in which the shooter, who pleaded guilty on all charges, and his father, who was found guilty of second-degree murder and other charges, were sentenced. The teen will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole, a judge decided. His father was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Officials accused the father of ignoring his son’s fascination with school shooters and allowing access to the gun used in the shooting. In August, the father filed a motion for a new trial.
“Resiliency in our community runs deep,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Thursday. “What evil wanted was recognition. We won’t give that evil that. What we want is to remember Christian, Mason, Ms. Irimie, and Coach Aspinwall.”