Before kicking off their 2024 regular season on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons will pay tribute to Apalachee High School in the wake of the deadly shooting that occurred at the school last week. As noted by NFL Media, the team will wear Apalachee High School Wildcats t-shirts during warmups. The Falcons play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which is roughly 45 minutes away from the high school.
The #Falcons’ players will wear Apalachee High School Wildcats T-shirts during warmups today, in a show of support for the community just four days after the tragic shooting at the school. pic.twitter.com/cqcJgaFMWH
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 8, 2024
Four people were killed and nine more were hospitalized during the Winder, Georgia, shooting. Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, along with teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39 -- the defensive coordinator for the school's football team -- and Christina Irimie, 53, were killed in the shooting.
"We went out to walkthrough today and [head coach Raheem Morris] notified us of the shooting that took place not too far from here, so that was pretty sobering," Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins told reporters this week. "Praying for the families that are affected, the school, the community, and it's a tough deal. Going to go home tonight and hug and kiss my kids."
The suspect was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, who was a student at the school. Gray was taken into custody alive and will be charged with murder and "handled" as an adult, according to CBS News.
