A family friend says the Apalachee math teacher killed in the mass shooting was “always very happy and joyful.”
Math teacher Christina Irimie was “always laughing” and very active in the local Romanian community, according to Father Nicolae Clempus.
Clempus, the pastor at St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church in Dacula, Georgia, met Irimie when he arrived in the United States in 2001.
“She was always very happy and joyful. It was a pleasure to be around her,” he said. “She was constantly joking, always had a joke about something, and everyone was laughing with her.”
Irimie, 53, was a devout Christian and was involved in a Romanian dance group when they met, Clempus said. She later taught dance to children.
She was also deeply dedicated to education and her students. “She loved math; it was one of her passions,” Clempus noted.
Clempus mentioned that he has been in contact with Irimie’s husband, who had to break the news to their family in Romania. “Her whole family is back home in Romania; she was here only with her husband,” he said. The couple did not have children.
“He’s devastated. It’s hard to believe,” Clempus said. “It was difficult for him to even talk about it.”
Clempus added that his church and the Romanian Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine & Helen in nearby Lilburn, Georgia, are planning services to celebrate her life.
He described Irimie as a hero to his community. “We are very sorry that we lost a good soul,” Clempus said. “She will be remembered as an example and a hero to my community.”
A teacher who was injured in a shooting asked, “Is everyone else okay?” when he woke up in the hospital
Special Education teacher David Phenix was among the nine victims hospitalized following the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, according to his daughter, Katie Phenix.
On her Facebook page, Phenix’s daughter expressed gratitude for the support, writing, “We are so thankful for all the texts, calls, and messages about my dad, David Phenix. There was a shooting this morning at Apalachee High School, and my dad was shot in the foot and hip, which shattered his hip bone. He arrived at the hospital alert and awake, and he just got out of surgery. He is now stable,” she shared on Wednesday afternoon.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Phenix, a special education teacher specializing in mathematics, expressed concern for his students and colleagues after waking up from surgery, his daughter shared in a subsequent Facebook post.
“Some of the first words out of his mouth after waking up were, ‘Is everyone else okay?’ I think that speaks volumes about the kind of man he is—always putting others first, regardless of his own situation,” she wrote on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday afternoon, Katie Phenix reported that her father would remain in the ICU for at least another day.
“There’s a pretty long recovery period ahead, but things are looking good,” she said.
Before joining Apalachee High School, Phenix taught in Loganville and Conyers, Georgia.
Here’s the latest update on the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia
Georgia school shooting suspect charged with four counts of felony murder
Colt Gray, the 14-year-old Georgia student accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School, has been charged with four counts of felony murder, according to charging documents obtained by CNN.
Authorities have indicated that he is likely to be tried as an adult.
Gray’s first court appearance is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Georgia high school shooting suspect had writings about past school shootings, the source reveals.
Authorities searching the home of Colt Gray, the suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting, discovered documents they believe were written by him, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.
The writings, found in Gray’s bedroom, included references to past school shootings, specifically the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
A teacher says Apalachee High School’s panic button system saved lives
Apalachee High School teacher Stephen Kreyenbuhl credited a recently implemented panic button system with saving lives during Wednesday’s shooting, speaking to CNN on Thursday.
“The program 100% saved lives,” Kreyenbuhl stated, recommending its use to all school districts.
According to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, the system, introduced just a week before the incident, quickly alerted Georgia law enforcement to the situation. Teachers were equipped with Centegix ID badges featuring a panic button to notify authorities of emergencies.
Kreyenbuhl explained that pressing the button four times alerts school administration while pressing it eight times summons law enforcement.
“I saw the lockdown begin even before I heard the gunshots,” he said.
A Centegix spokesperson expressed, “We are deeply saddened by the events at Apalachee High School,” noting that the company cannot comment on the ongoing investigation.
Kreyenbuhl also expressed hope that the community’s grief will inspire action.
“A lot of people, in expressing their grief, want to cry, hug their loved ones, and ensure everyone’s safety,” Kreyenbuhl said. “However, I believe it’s also appropriate for others to channel their grief into activism, seeking to make a positive change in their community, whatever form that might take.”
He added, “I hope that more legislation can be enacted to help prevent these situations and keep our children safe.”
Records show that investigators were unable to substantiate a tip from 2023 regarding the Georgia shooting suspect
Law enforcement officials have revealed that they closed an investigation into a school shooting threat last year, which involved the teenager accused of killing four people at a Georgia high school this week. The investigation was closed because the tip about the threat could not be substantiated, according to newly released public records.
In May 2023, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the FBI about a threat on the chat platform Discord, stating, “shoot up a middle school tomorrow.”
This tip referenced a Discord account created the previous month, linked to an email address associated with Colt Gray, the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting. The tip included photos and a profile name in Russian that translated to Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter. The FBI had previously stated that the threat also included images of guns.
Actions taken by authorities at the time:
Investigators reported that they interviewed Colt and his father, Colin Gray, at their home in Jefferson, Georgia. At the time, Colt was 13 years old. He stated that he was being accused of threatening to shoot up a school, but he denied making such a threat, even in jest, according to Investigator Daniel Miller, Jr.
Colin Gray informed investigators that he had hunting rifles in the house. He clarified that Colt is permitted to use the rifles only under supervision and does not have unrestricted access to them.
Miller noted that Colt assured him he had never made any threats to shoot up a school. He recommended that Colin secure the firearms and keep Colt out of school until the situation could be resolved.
Colin Gray also mentioned to investigators that Colt had experienced some issues at a middle school in Jackson County but had since transferred to a different school in the same county, where the situation had significantly improved.
Jackson County borders Barrow County, where the incident at Apalachee High School occurred.
Decisions made by investigators:
Elliott noted that the case would be closed because “the allegation that Colt or Colin is behind the Discord account that made the threat could not be substantiated.”
The Jackson County sheriff did not respond to CNN’s request for an interview regarding the 2023 investigation.
In Photos: Community Mourns Following Apalachee High School Shooting That Left Four Dead
Once again, a U.S. community is grieving after a tragic school shooting in Winder, Georgia. A 14-year-old suspect opened fire, resulting in the deaths of two students and two teachers.
Parents hurriedly tried to contact and reunite with their children on Wednesday, while authorities continue to investigate the motive behind the shooting and how the suspect acquired the weapon.
Barrow County schools will remain closed for the rest of the week following this tragedy, which occurred just one month into the school year.
“I really don’t want to go back. I feel like I shouldn’t have to go to school worrying about dying,” said 14-year-old Macey Right.
This marks at least the 45th school shooting of the year and is the deadliest U.S. school shooting since the March 2023 massacre at The Covenant School in Nashville, which claimed six lives.
A couple embraces during a vigil for the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, September 4.
A young girl and her mother watch as law enforcement and first responders surround Apalachee High School in Winder on Wednesday.
Student Gretchen Gierlach, 18, holds up a sign following the shooting.
Law enforcement officers hold police tape near the scene
People pray during a vigil on Thursday
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey addresses the media following the shooting.
The Apalachee High School football game scheduled for Friday has been canceled
The football game scheduled for Friday at Apalachee High School in Winder has been canceled, according to Monroe Area High School, the opposing team.
“Due to recent events, the football game against Apalachee this week has been canceled,” Monroe Area High School announced in a Facebook post on Thursday morning. The game was to be held at the same field where students gathered for a prayer circle shortly after the shooting.
Apalachee High School defensive coordinator Richard Aspinwall was among the four victims of the shooting, which also injured nine people.
“Monroe Area Stands With Apalachee,” the school’s post read.
From Algebra 1 to Barricading Doors: The Unfolding of the Georgia School Shooting
