A 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school and killed four people on Wednesday, authorities said, sending students scrambling for shelter in their classrooms — and eventually to the football stadium — as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if their children were safe.

The dead were identified as two students and two teachers, and at least nine other people were taken to hospitals with injuries.

The suspect, a student at Apalachee High School in Winder, about an hour’s drive from Atlanta, was taken into custody, authorities said, and was being charged as an adult with murder.

Helicopter video from WSB-TV showed dozens of police and emergency vehicles surrounding the school in Barrow County, about 50 miles (80km) north-east of Atlanta.

The school campus was placed in lockdown after shots were heard at around 10.30am on Wednesday.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said two school resource officers encountered the gunman within minutes after a report of shots fired went out.

The suspect immediately surrendered and was taken into custody.

The investigation was still “very active,” Mr Hosey added, with many interviews and crime scene work yet to be done.

At a news conference Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said: “My heart hurts for these kids. My heart hurts for our community. But I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county. I want that to be very clear and known. Love will prevail over what happened today.”

Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said county schools will be closed for the rest of the week as they co-operate with the investigation, but grief counselling will be available.