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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported that at least four people are dead, and nine others have been hospitalized with injuries after students were evacuated from Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Wednesday following a school shooting. A suspect is in police custody.

All schools in Barrow County, near Atlanta, went into lockdown following an unspecified threat, according to local officials. The total number of victims and specifics about their conditions have not yet been confirmed.

Around 10:20 a.m. ET officers from multiple agencies and emergency personnel were dispatched to the school after calls of an active shooter. About an hour later, the school was evacuated, with students being released to their families. Law enforcement and emergency responders were seen on campus, with at least two people being put into helicopters to be flown to hospitals, local news channel WSB-TV reported.

The Atlanta branch of the FBI also said it was assisting with the investigation of what was happening at the school.

School officials and the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Yahoo News’ requests for comment.

A 17-year-old student told ABC News that he was in chemistry class when he heard gunshots. He said his chemistry teacher locked the door as the rest of the class huddled in the back. The student said he could hear gunshots and screams and, at one point, someone banged on the classroom door and shouted “open up” multiple times. The student and his class were later evacuated to the football field.

One student told a reporter for Fox 5 Atlanta that he initially thought the gunshots were fake until he heard screaming. He described being evacuated from the building and seeing a body in one of the rooms. “There was a gun lying on the ground, with the bullets and the blood,” he said.

“They prepare you for these things,” a 15-year-old girl told the New York Times. “But in the moment, I started crying. I got nervous.”

At a brief news conference Wednesday afternoon, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the investigation “very, very fluid” and in its early stages. Smith confirmed “multiple injuries” but did not give a specific number or detail of the severity of the injuries.

“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” he said.

President Biden issued a statement in response to the shooting, saying, “What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was campaigning in New Jersey on Wednesday, called the shooting “a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters he was “devastated” by the “terrible tragedy.”

“We are still gathering information but the FBI and ATF are on the scene, working with state, local and federal partners,” Garland said. “The Justice Department stands ready to provide resources or support to the Winder community needs in the days ahead.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on X, “I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state. We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”