'Hate will not prevail': Sheriff chokes up after Georgia school shooting
A Georgia sheriff choked up Wednesday at a news conference as he and other law enforcement officers shared details about a mass shooting at a high school that left four dead and nine hospitalized with injuries.
Colt Gray was identified Wednesday afternoon by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as the 14-year-old suspected of killing two teachers and two adults at Apalachee High School in Winder. He surrendered to two school resource officers and will face murder charges in the mass shooting, authorities said at a news conference.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith choked up as he stepped up to the podium, telling reporters, "I never imagined ... " before becoming emotional.
"I never imagined I would be speaking to the media in my career over something like what happened today, the pure evil that happened today," he said.
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"This hits home for me," he continued. "I was born and raised here. I went to school in this school system. My kids go to this school system. I'm proud of this school system. My heart hurts for these kids. My heart hurts for this community. But I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county."
Smith added that love will prevail.
"I assure you of that," he said.