Victims of Georgia high school shooting remembered: ‘As great as they come’

Four people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday at Apalachee high school outside Atlanta, Georgia. Two were students, both aged 14, and two were mathematics teachers.

Christian Angulo, 14

In an online fundraiser to raise money for funeral services, Lisette Angulo identified herself as the elder sister of Christian Angulo, one of the two students who were killed. She said he was a “very good kid and very sweet and so caring. He was so loved by many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected … We are truly heartbroken.”

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Abner Sanz, who was friends with Christian since middle school, said he could not believe that he had died. “I was in denial because you would never believe somebody that you knew would pass away just like that,” Sanz told Fox 5 in Atlanta.

Mason Schermerhorn, 14

The 14-year-old student was described by family friends to the New York Times as a “lighthearted teenager who liked spending time with his family, reading, telling jokes, playing video games and visiting Walt Disney World”.

“He really enjoyed life, he always had an upbeat attitude about everything,” said one of those friends, Doug Kilburn.

Before Mason’s death was confirmed by authorities, members of his family posted his photo on social media in the hope of reaching him. “If he is escalated, PLEASE use a calm voice with him. Let him know his mom is looking for him for reassurance,” one of the posts read.

Christina Irimie, 53

Students described Irimie, who taught mathematics, as patient and caring. Isaac Sanguma said in an interview with CBS Mornings that “Miss Irimie” was “really nice”.

Sanguma said it took a while to get the measure of her when he first joined Irimie’s class. “She would tell corny jokes, and at the time you’re like, ‘What is she talking about?’, but now it’s just like, dang!”

Sanguma said Irimie was supportive when he failed algebra and had to retake the class. “She never made me feel ashamed about it, she never made me feel dumb. You could get a question wrong on the board and she’s not going to make you feel dumb, she made you feel welcome.”

Richard Aspinwall, 39

Aspinwall, known by friends as Ricky, also taught math at Apalachee high school. Brought up in Rome, Georgia, in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, he was taken on at the school in 2023 as the defensive coordinator for the school’s football team, the Apalachee Wildcats.

A fundraiser set up to help his wife, Shayna Aspinwall, and their two young children had raised almost $80,000 in one day. News of his death prompted outpourings from other football coaches expressing heartbreak and shock.

Todd Welborn, who worked with him at his previous school, Mountain View in Lawrenceville, said on X that Aspinwall was a “true ‘glue guy’ on our staff that kept us together. He was a man that loved the work, and never asked for attention.”

Another coach at Buford high school, Brandon Gill, said Aspinwall was “as great as they come. Helluva human being. Would do anything for anyone.”

Isaiah Hooks, who plays football with the Wildcats, said that the coach was “like family basically”. Hooks told Fox 5 in Atlanta: “It’s so hard to think that somebody that you spent so much time with … is not going to be there.”