One of the four people who were shot and killed at Apalachee High School was a 53-year-old math teacher named Cristina Irimie.
Educator Edward Yoon said that he had worked with Irimie in the past.
"Cristina was a great math teacher who cared for all her students," Yoon told 11Alive. "She will be dearly missed. I remember she and I would talk about how our students were doing in math, and she had understanding for the students and helped them succeed."
Joshua Pruett, a senior at Apalachee High School, said that Irimie was an algebra teacher.
"She was one of my favorites," Pruett said. "It's sad. I feel bad for her and her family. And I mainly feel bad for people who didn't get to meet her and didn't get to experience the joy she brought to the school."
The three other people killed during the shooting were 39-year-old teacher Richard Aspinwall, 14-year-old student Mason Schermerhorn and 14-year-old student Christian Angulo, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
More on the tragedy
Law enforcement responded to reports of an active shooter at 10:23 a.m., according to a release from the Barrow County Sheriff's Office. The situation unfolded rapidly, with multiple agencies arriving on the scene to manage the emergency and begin the investigation.
Authorities have confirmed that a 14-year-old suspect is in custody. The Barrow County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident to gather more details about the suspect and their possible motives.
"First and foremost, we wanna lift up our community, give our sympathies to our community, school system, kids, parents, that had to witness this today," Sheriff Jud Smith said. "Obviously, what you see behind us is an evil thing today."
Apalachee High School is located on Haymon Morris Road, just outside the city limits of Winder in Barrow County, Georgia. The school is part of the Barrow County School District, which also includes nearby schools such as Haymon Morris Middle School, Yargo Elementary School, and Cadence Academy Preschool