‘They made a difference.’ 2 math teachers are among the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting
(CNN) — The community of Apalachee High School and Winder, Georgia, is mourning after a mass shooting Wednesday left two students and two teachers dead and nine others injured – the latest toll in a nation where gun violence persists seemingly unabated.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified those killed as Richard Aspinwall, 39; Christina Irimie, 53; and Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Of those taken to hospitals with injuries, eight were students and one was a teacher.
Apalachee High School teacher Stephen Kreyenbuhl shared with CNN’s Sara Sidner how “tough” it is losing two of his peers.
“They made a difference,” he said of Aspinwall and Irimie. “They were there for their students each and every day, and it’s going to be very, very hard and difficult to move forward from that.”
Here’s what we know about the victims.
Richard Aspinwall
Aspinwall, a math teacher, was described as sweet and kind by sophomore Ariel Bowling, who was in Aspinwall’s geometry class her freshman year.
“He would always push his students to make sure they are doing well in his class,” Bowling told CNN, tearing up as she recalled the educator. “He was just really sweet.”
Michael Gordon, another student, echoed that, telling CNN, “He was a good guy … I had him – I’m in tenth grade – so I had him for a whole year, and he taught me a lot.”
Aspinwall was also an assistant football coach, serving as defensive coordinator for the Apalachee Wildcats football team.
“As our community, school, and football program begins the mourning process we are so grateful for the outpouring of support,” the Apalachee football program said in a message on X Thursday morning. “To our beloved defensive coordinator Ricky Aspinwall, we will carry you heavy in our hearts. We love you Coach A!!!”
Christina Irimie
Irimie was also an Apalachee High School math teacher, the school’s website shows.
One student, Isaac Sanguma, told CBS Mornings on Thursday he struggled with math. But Irimie was a “real nice” teacher – she liked to tell “corny jokes,” he said. She never made him feel less than.
“She never made me feel dumb,” he said. “You could get a question wrong on the board, and she’s not going to make you feel dumb. She will make you feel welcome.”
Christian Angulo
Christian, 14, was described by his older sister as a “very good kid,” who was “very sweet and so caring.”
“He was so loved by many,” Lisette Angulo wrote on a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Christian’s funeral, which included a photo of the teen with a cake on his 14th birthday. “His loss was so sudden and unexpected.. We are truly heartbroken.. He really didn’t deserve this.”
Mason Schermerhorn
Mason was a 14-year-old student at Apalachee High School.
CNN’s David Williams, Jillian Sykes, Andy Rose and Sara Smart contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
