Georgia school shooting: Tragic details emerge of family’s desperate plea to reach out to autistic son with a ‘calm voice’ as 14-year-old named among four victims at Apalachee High

A 14-year-old boy with autism has been identified as one of four victims who tragically died in a shooting at a Georgia school on Wednesday, after frantic relatives were unable to reach the teenager following the shooting.

In an attempt to find Mason Schermerhorn, his relatives began spreading his photo online. His sister Lilianah urged the public via an Instagram story to “PLEASE speak to him in a calm voice” and “let him know his mother is looking for him to reassure him.”

But shortly after, Mason was identified as one of four people killed at Apalachee High School, and a loved one said after his death that “it’s sad that we can’t even send our babies to school and have them be safe.”

He enjoyed spending time with his family, reading, telling jokes, playing video games and visiting Disney World, his family said. The New York Times.

Another loved one said: ‘Beautiful Mason, we are so sorry! (America) failed you… Hug your children!’

He had recently joined the school.

Another 14-year-old student, Christian Angulo, and teachers Christina Irmie, 53, and Richard Aspinall, 39, were killed in the shooting, allegedly committed by the 14-year-old suspect, Colt Gray.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Gray immediately surrendered when confronted by police and “gave up and got on the ground.”

At least nine other people were injured in the horrific shooting in Winder, Georgia.

First in the photo was special education teacher David Phenix. Phenix was shot in the hip and foot, but survived the tragedy.

Following his arrest, Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

According to authorities, Gray opened fire at approximately 10:23 a.m., injuring at least 13 people as frenzied scenes took over the school.

Footage showed students streaming onto campus as terrified parents ran to find their children, with one mother describing the scene outside the school as pure “chaos”.

Lyela Sayerath, a junior at the school, said she was sitting next to Colt Gray in algebra class minutes before the shooting began.

She told CNN that Colt left the classroom at the start of his class at 9:45 a.m., about a half-hour before active shooter alerts sounded.

Gray did not ask permission to go to the bathroom, she said, leading her to initially think he was simply skipping class, before an announcement over the loudspeaker told teachers to check their emails.

Shortly afterward, Sayerath said, Gray returned outside his classroom and a student stood up to open the door for him before jumping back upon seeing his gun.

“I guess he saw that we weren’t going to let him in. And I guess the door to the classroom next door was open, so I think he started shooting in the classroom,” he said.

Sayerath said Gray proceeded to fire a series of bullets “one after the other,” adding, “When we heard it, most of the people just fell to the ground and crawled around in an area piled on top of each other.”

Gray had been on the FBI’s radar a year before the tragedy.

The federal agency said it interviewed suspected gunman Colt Gray, 14, and his father last year following “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified time and location.”

Officials said Gray “denied making any online threats” at the time, and the only action taken was to warn local schools to “continuously monitor” the troubled teen.

As information comes in about the school shooting, officially the deadliest in Georgia history, students and parents are sharing their shock at the horror that unfolded.

A mother, Erin Clark, shared the text message exchange she had with her son Ethan from the moment she learned there was an active shooter at his school.

She wrote: “There is a school shooting going on right now. I am scared. I am not joking.”

His mother immediately responded and assured him that she was leaving work. In a heartbreaking response, Ethan wrote: “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Where are you?” Clark said. Ethan told him he was in class and added, “Someone died.”

Many students filmed the events and one shocked grandfather revealed that his granddaughters were “carried away among blood and victims” after the shooting.

“They heard the gunshots and SWAT officers came into the room with their guns on looking for the shooters,” James Shappard said. “No child should have to go through that.”