>>> ALL OF THIS HAPPENING BARELY A MONTH INTO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED IN BARROW COUNTY, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL, OUTSIDE ATLANTA, LEADING TO A SOFT LOCKDOWN FOR SCHOOLS IN THE AREA. TWO TEACHERS AND TWO STUDENTS WERE KILLED. THE 14-YEAR-OLD SUSPECT WAS A STUDENT AT THE SCHOOL. THEY DESCRIBED THE SITUATION AS CHAOTIC AS THEY WORKED TO REUNITE FAMILIES AND GET MEDICAL HELP FOR THE INJURED. A MEDICAL CHOPPER WAS SEEN WITH STUDENTS AND FAMILIES FLOODING THE FOOTBALL FIELD. LISTEN TO ONE STUDENT THE MOMENT THEY HEARD GUNFIRE AND WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE CAMPUS. >> IT WAS LIKE-- OVER A PERIOD OF A MINUTE THAT THE GUNS FIRED. BUT YOU COULD HEAR PEOPLE STRUGGLING, PEOPLE WERE YELLING, PEOPLE WERE SCARED. THEY LEFT A DOOR OPEN, AND THERE WAS GUNPOWDER ALL OVER THE GROUND, A BUNCH OF POWDER, AND IT-- HUGE PUDDLE OF BLOOD IN THE CLASSROOM I DROPPED AT THE SITE. >> ANOTHER HORRIFIC REMINDER OF HOW GUN VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO TEAR OUR COMMUNITIES APART. NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT JESSE KIRSCH, JOINING ME NOW, WITH THE VIGIL THAT BEGAN SHORTLY BEFORE. HOW IS THE COMMUNITY REACTING? >> Reporter: YEAH, VALERIE, THE EVENT WRAPPED UP ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO, BUT THERE ARE STILL DOZENS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. DURING THE VIGIL I COULD HEAR THE GRASS MOVING UNDER PEOPLE'S FEET. IT WAS BORDERING SILENCE OUT HERE PEOPLE, TEARS IN THEIR EYES -- HERE'S PART OF WHAT WE HEARD. >> THE SMELL, THE SCENT OF THE GUNPOWDER, AND JUST LIKE SEEING BLOOD ALL OVER THE FLOOR. IT'S REALLY TRAUMATIC. >> SOMETHING THIS DRILLED FOR-- WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HOME? >> IT'S REALLY TERRIFYING. HOW COULD SOMEBODY SO YOUNG DO THAT? >> THAT STUDENT TOLD ME AS WELL GOING TO THAT EXPERIENCE-- NOWHERE IS TRULY SAFE, VALERIE. IT'S REALLY TOUGH TO BE HEARING THAT FROM A YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, THAT THAT IS THEIR PERSPECTIVE IN THE WAKE OF THIS. >> UNFORTUNATELY IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE HEARD OF BEFORE IN SIMILAR SCHOOL SHOOTINGS LIKE THIS. WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS SHOOTING AND THE SUSPECT? >> Reporter: A SHORT TIME AGO WE WERE TOLD THAT WE ARE GOING TO NOT BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SUSPECT, 14-YEAR-OLD COLT GRAY, WHO IS BEING CHARGED AS AN ADULT. THIS WAS A STUDENT AT THIS SCHOOL AT THE TIME OF THE SHOOTING. 14 YEARS OLD, AND WE HAVE OUTLINED RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY WE WERE NOT IDENTIFYING THE SUSPECT. BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING CHARGED AS AN ADULT WE ARE IDENTIFYING HIM NOW. STUDENT, ALIVE, IN CUSTODY, KILLED FOUR, WOUNDED NINE, ACCORDING TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE. THAT'S WHAT WE KNOW AT THIS TIME AS WE CONTINUE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES, PRESS CONFERENCE EXPECTED WITHIN THE HOUR. WRAPS WE WILL LEARN MORE DETAILS ON THE WEAPON, HOW IT GOT INTO THE SCHOOL, HOW THE SUSPECT GOT HIS HANDS ON THE WEAPON. BUT AT THIS POINT A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. >> THERE HER-- WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMS, AND HOW THOSE WHO SURVIVED ARE DOING? >> Reporter: YES, SO WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE FOUR PEOPLE KILLED, TWO STUDENTS, TWO TEACHERS ACCORDING TO AUTHORITIES, AND NINE PEOPLE INJURED, WHO WERE HOT OR RECOVERING END-OF-LIFE. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU, VALERIE, FROM THAT CONVERSATION A 15- YEAR-OLD AT THE SCHOOL DESCRIBED SMELLING THE SCENE IN THE AFTERMATH, SEEING BLOOD, AND THAT'S THE REALITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TONIGHT AS MANY GATHERED HERE, DOZENS CAME TOGETHER TO HONOR THOSE WHO WERE INJURED OR LOST THEIR LIVES. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WHEN YOU LOOK UP AT A LATE SUMMER EVENING IT IS UNDER A CLOUD