Jefferson, Ga: Funeral services for a teenage boy remembered for his endearing smile and a math teacher known for her dedication to students were scheduled for Saturday, 10 days after both were killed by a gunman who opened fire at a Georgia high school.
Family, friends and supporters of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn and teacher Christina Irimie, 53, were gathering to say farewell at separate afternoon services.
They were among four people killed Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School by a shooter armed with an assault-style rifle. Another teacher and eight other students were injured.
A large public outpouring was expected at the memorial service for Schermerhorn that is being held at a civic center in Jefferson. A neighbor, Tommy Pickett, recalled watching him grow over the past decade from an inquisitive young boy to a teenager who always seemed to be smiling and laughing.
Irimie immigrated to the U.S. more than 20 years ago from her home country of Romania. She was known for teaching children dance in addition to algebra and stayed active in metro Atlanta’s Romanian expat community.
The service for Irimie, with readings and remembrances in English and Romanian, is set to be held at a funeral home in Buford. Afterward, a memorial meal is planned at Saints Constantine and Helen Romanian Orthodox Church.
The funerals mark another opportunity for students and faculty from the high school of 1,900 to share their grief. Barrow County’s other schools reopened last week. But no date has been set for students to return to Apalachee High School.
A private funeral was held last weekend for Richard Aspinwall, a 39-year-old math teacher and defensive coordinator of the school’s football team. Aspinwall was killed in the attack alongside Schermerhorn, Irimie and 14-year-old student Christian Angulo.
Angulo’s family has scheduled his funeral service at a church for Friday.
Authorities have charged a 14-year-old student , Colt Gray, with murder in the high school killings. His father also has been charged with second-degree murder for furnishing his son with a weapon used to kill children.
Authorities say the teen surrendered to school resource officers who confronted him roughly three minutes after the first shots were fired. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the teenager rode the bus to school with the semiautomatic rifle concealed in his backpack.
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