Questions mounting over Apalachee school shooting in Georgia, expert talks safety concerns
Questions are mounting after 14 year old suspect Colt Gray allegedly opened fire at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday. The attack left four people dead and nine others in the hospital.
We also learned Gray's mother contacted the school at 9:50am to warn them of the coming attack, approximately 20 minutes before the shooting began. Gray was also on the radar of the FBI just last year when authorities questioned him and his father about an online threat to commit a school shooting.
So as details surrounding the devastating event continue to be revealed, concerns over school safety are top of mind for parents and students.
Executive Director of Safe Havens International out of Georgia, Michael Dorn said while the device used to alert authorities of the shooting was helpful, there are better resources out there.
"The particular button that they used it's not a bad device, but there are far better ones than that one available," Dorn said. "So for example, that one you have to hit it eight times under stress to summon police and four times for non-emergency and that becomes problematic because people may not hit the button enough times," he said.
Dorn said there are other systems out there that will do what the emergency button used at Apalachee does, for less money. This shooting is also another case where the suspect was on the FBI's radar, but not apprehended because there was no probable cause for arrest.
Dorn calls it troubling, that this isn't the first time details like these have resurfaced after the tragedy has already occurred.
"It's a lot of staffing to conduct 24/7 surveillance," Dorn said. "You might need 7 to 10 agents full time watching that individual and the (GBI) director called me, was very concerned. He said 'We will probably miss some attacks because we just don't have the personnel,'" he said.
Dorn tells 21 News he also doesn't believe every school should adopt the idea to remove student's cell phones from classrooms due to cases like this, but that putting them in a pouch might be the best alternative.
"I don't think most districts are going to that extent," Dorn said. "My son's district, they could have the phone but they come into class, they put it in a pouch or they lay it face down on their desk so in that situation they could use it in an emergency," he said.
Gray and his father are being charged, Colt will be tried as an adult.
