The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that authorities had previously interviewed a minor who is now suspected of killing four people in a shooting at a Georgia high school. The agency did not find probable cause to make an arrest at the time.
The FBI released a statement Wednesday concerning the suspect in custody.
— FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) September 4, 2024
The FBI said it had received anonymous tips in 2023 about a possible school shooting. It said it traced the postings to Georgia and warned the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
"The Jackson County Sheriff's Office located a possible subject, a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father," the FBI wrote in its statement. "The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them. The subject denied making the threats online."
"At the time, there was no probable cause for arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state or federal levels," the FBI wrote.
Two teachers and two students were killed in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Nine others were taken to area hospitals with various injuries, GBI director Chris Hosey said.
RELATED STORY | 2 students, 2 teachers killed in shooting at Georgia high school
The shooter was identified as a 14-year-old student at the school. He will be charged as an adult with murder, authorities said.
At a Wednesday evening press conference, authorities said there was no evidence of additional shooters or of other schools being targeted. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it would continue to conduct a criminal investigation into the incident and into whether there were any outstanding threats to other schools.
EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN CORRECTED TO REFLECT THAT LOCAL POLICE, AND NOT THE FBI, CONDUCTED THE INTERVIEW.
