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Atlanta Falcons honor Apalachee High School shooting victims ahead of NFL opener

Apalachee High School is located in Winder, Georgia — about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
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The Atlanta Falcons honored the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting victims Sunday ahead of the team's home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Falcons teammates and coaches wore Apalachee Wildcats gear during pre-game warmups and then held a moment of silence for those affected by last week's shooting that left four people dead and nine others injured.

Apalachee High School is located in Winder, Georgia — about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.

RELATED STORY | Apalachee High School senior recounts shooting that left 4 dead

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said players were preparing for a team walk-through last week when head coach Raheem Morris first notified them about the shooting.

"That was pretty sobering," Cousins said in a press conference. "You know, our prayers, praying for the families that are effected, the school, the community. And um, you know, it's a tough deal. You know, I'm gonna go home tonight and hug and kiss my kids."

Authorities said 14-year-old Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection to the school shooting and will be tried as an adult.

RELATED STORY | Authorities identify 4 victims in Georgia high school shooting

The teen's father, Colin Gray, has also been arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.

This comes after the FBI revealed that local authorities had interviewed the teen in 2023 after receiving anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting. The agency said the boy denied making the threats and his father said his son didn't have "unsupervised" access to hunting guns in the house.