This story was updated at 2:23 p.m.
The shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, left students, teachers and parents in mourning — especially those who knew the four people who lost their lives Wednesday.
Freshman Ester Matias, who was dropping off flowers at the school in honor of the victims, said math teacher Cristina Irimie died while protecting a student.
“My friend, my neighbor, she was going to get shot but Miss Irimie stood up and took the bullet for her,” Matias said. “That’s very, very strong for her to do.”
Rev. George Acsente is head priest at the Saint Constantine and Helen Church, the Romanian Orthodox church in Lilburn, Georgia, where Irimie attended services and volunteered for more than two decades.
“She loved people. She loved life — a lot — and she loved what she was doing teaching children. She was trying to shape the minds and hearts of kids,” he said. “She was never blessed with biological kids but she loved so much children around her.”
Ximena Verdin’s friend, 14-year-old Christian Angulo, also died in the shooting.
“It was scary, hearing all the screaming and the gunshots,” Verdin said.
Matias, who also knew Angulo, said he was “very sweet and very funny and chill.”
Residents of Winder, Georgia, gathered at a vigil at Winder’s Jug Tavern Park Wednesday evening where people prayed, lit candles and released balloons in honor of the victims of the shooting. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ordered that flags on state buildings be flown at half-mast to honor their lives.
The 14-year-old suspect has been charged with four felony counts of murder, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Friends and family of the two students and two teachers who died in the shooting have collectively raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for funeral services and financial support.
Loved ones of Irimie, 53, created a GoFundMe to raise money to assist her family with funeral expenses and other needs.
“She dedicated her life to shaping the minds and hearts of students and the community,” wrote GoFundMe organizer Corneliu Caprar and Gabrielle Buth. “To honor her legacy, we are coming together to help her family during this tragic time.”
The message is repeated in Romanian. According to the page, the fund received the blessing of Acsente, the priest of Irimie’s church.
Acsente first met Irimie when he came to his position at the church in 2013.
“She was a profound Christian and a very good promoter of Christian values,” Acsente said.
Her volunteer work at the church included helping to organize the church’s two yearly festivals in the spring and fall, as well as cooking and serving traditional Romanian dishes.
She also taught children in Romanian dance and felt passionate about sharing her heritage with a younger generation of Romanian Americans, Acsente said.
She was born in Romania under Communism, and immigrated to the United States in 2001 with her husband Dorin.
Acsente said she often spoke about her love of living in a Democratic country and was proud to be an American citizen.
“She wanted to ‘perform’ her freedom and never expected this violence to happen,” said Acsente.
Family members of the other individuals who died during the Wednesday shooting are still in shock. Lisette Angulo, the oldest sister of 14-year-old Christian Angulo, said in a GoFundMe post that his “loss was so sudden and unexpected.”
Christian Angulo was “a very good kid and very sweet and so caring,” said his sister. “He was so loved by many,” she wrote. “We are truly heartbroken.. He really didn’t deserve this.”
On 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn’s GoFundMe page, family friend Artisea Bethea — raising money on behalf of his sister, Breanna Schermerhorn — called him “the sweetest most loving soul with the biggest smile.”
“Please consider donating to help support my dear friend and her family as they are going through this difficult loss of her baby brother Mason,” Bethea wrote. “Please keep this sweet family in your prayers and help out if you can.”
Julie Woodson organized a fundraiser in honor of 39-year-old math teacher and football coach Richard Aspinwall. She wrote that those who loved him are “all in shock over the news that Ricky Aspinwall lost his life protecting his students.”
The fund will help his wife, Shayna Aspinwall, with dealing with expenses and taking care of their two children.
A friend of Aspinwall’s, Brandon Gill, posted on X that he “was truly as great as they come” and that he would “do anything for anyone.”
Aspinwall formerly worked as a secondary football coach and math teacher at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, according to the school football team’s Facebook post.
Todd Welborn, who worked with Aspinwall at Mountain View, also offered his thoughts and support for Aspinwall’s family.
There are several other pages for the victims, including one organized by Victims First, an organization dedicated to providing resources to those affected by mass shootings.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Cristina Irimie’s name in a quote.
