Apalachee High School junior who sat next to mass shooter Colt Gray reveals his bizarre behavior moments before he gunned down four

An Apalachee High School ninth-grader who sat next to gunman Colt Gray recounted the gunman’s terrifying behavior just before he opened fire, and how she and her classmates narrowly escaped death.

Lyela Sayarath said she sat next to the 14-year-old gunman in math class Wednesday morning and had no idea of ​​the horrors that could unfold. She described him as a “quiet” teenager.

“He never really spoke, he wasn’t (at school) most of the time, he was just skipping school,” she told CNN. “Even when he did speak, he would give one-word answers.”

Sayarath said she was “not surprised” when Gray was identified as the shooter. She said that “when you think about shooters and the way they act, it’s usually the quiet guy and he was the one who fit that description.”

She said she sat next to the gunman in class the morning of the shooting and was unaware of the horrors that would unfold if he excused himself from class.

At least thirteen people were shot dead in the chaos, including two students and two teachers.

Sayarath said Gray left the classroom at 9:45 a.m., about a half hour before the active shooter alarm went off, thinking he was skipping school again because he hadn’t brought a bathroom pass.

But while he was gone, a loudspeaker announced that teachers should check their email. Then, Sayarath said, Gray reappeared at their classroom door.

Still not realizing how dangerous it was, Sayarath said a student tried to open the door for Gray but backed away when he saw his gun.

“I think he saw that we weren’t going to let him in. And I think the classroom next to me, their door, was open, so I think he just started shooting into the classroom,” she said.

She said he fired several bullets “one by one,” adding: “When we heard it, most of the people dropped to the ground and were like crawling on top of each other.”

Sayarath said her friend was in the classroom next door and saw someone get shot, which left him “shocked.” “He saw someone get shot. There was blood on him. He was limping a little bit. He looked shocked,” she added.

Horrifying details have emerged from inside classrooms showing the chilling chaos students endured as gunfire rang out this morning

Concerned parents gathered at school on Wednesday

Mason Schermerhorn, 14, an autistic student at Apalachee High School, was the first victim to be identified. He was one of four people killed in the mass shooting

This comes as 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn is the first of the four victims of the school shooting to be identified.

The victim’s family told Channel 12 News that Schermerhorn, an autistic high school student, was shot dead in the tragedy Wednesday morning.

Gray, 14, wounded at least nine others in the horrific shooting in Winder, Georgia. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Gray immediately surrendered when confronted by police, “giving up and going to the ground.”

Authorities have not yet released identification of the other three people who were shot. There is no indication that they were specifically targeted, but the investigation is ongoing.

It is unclear how the 14-year-old gunman obtained the weapon used in the attack. Authorities have not yet disclosed what type of firearm was used.

After his arrest, Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

According to police, Gray opened fire at about 10:23 a.m., killing at least 13 people. Panic ensued at the school.

Footage showed students streaming onto campus as terrified parents rushed to find their children. One mother described the scene outside the school as sheer “chaos.”