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Funerals held for teen boy and math teacher killed in Georgia high school shooting

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Funerals held for teen boy and math teacher killed in Georgia high school shooting
News

News

Funerals held for teen boy and math teacher killed in Georgia high school shooting

2024-09-15 05:46 Last Updated At:05:51

JEFFERSON, Ga. (AP) — Funeral services for a teenage boy remembered for his endearing smile and a math teacher known for her dedication to students were held 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 Cristina Irimie, 53, gathered to say farewell at separate afternoon services.

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Mourners follow the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, to the burial site after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners follow the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, to the burial site after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Family members leave after the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Family members leave after the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Dorin Irimie, husband of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, mourns by her casket at her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Dorin Irimie, husband of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, mourns by her casket at her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners carry the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners carry the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

A poster with images of shooting victims from left, Cristina Irimie, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall and Christian Angulo is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with images of shooting victims from left, Cristina Irimie, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall and Christian Angulo is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Cristina Irimie is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Cristina Irimie is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

This combo of images show shooting victims, from left, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

This combo of images show shooting victims, from left, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

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.

Irimie, who immigrated to the U.S. more than 20 years ago from her home country of Romania, was honored with a Romanian Orthodox service filled with chants and hymns. The ceremony alternated between English and Romanian.

“We gather today to offer prayers for a noble soul,” one of the priests presiding over the service said. “Family members, friends, colleagues, and, in fact, many people throughout this nation and beyond are mourning the loss of a dear wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, parish member, colleague, teacher and fellow citizen.”

There also was a large public outpouring at the memorial service for Schermerhorn, which was held at a civic center in Jefferson. The teen's family requested that anyone attending the service wear red, which was his favorite color.

Mason loved playing video games and liked Disney and LEGOs, his obituary said. He also loved spending time with his family.

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 was known for teaching children dance in addition to algebra and stayed active in metro Atlanta's Romanian expat community. Her service was held at a funeral home in Buford. Afterward, a memorial meal was 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 students 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.

Mourners follow the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, to the burial site after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners follow the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, to the burial site after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners grieve for Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, during her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Family members leave after the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Family members leave after the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

People arrive for the funeral of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn in Jefferson, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Dorin Irimie, husband of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, mourns by her casket at her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Dorin Irimie, husband of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, mourns by her casket at her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners carry the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Mourners carry the casket of Ana Cristina Irimie, a math teacher killed during a shooting at Apalachee High School, after her funeral service at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel and Gardens in Buford, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

A poster with images of shooting victims from left, Cristina Irimie, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall and Christian Angulo is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with images of shooting victims from left, Cristina Irimie, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall and Christian Angulo is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Cristina Irimie is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Cristina Irimie is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

A poster with an image of shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

This combo of images show shooting victims, from left, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

This combo of images show shooting victims, from left, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump used one of the flurry of executive actions that he issued on his first day back in the White House to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization for the second time in less than five years — a move many scientists fear could roll back decadeslong gains made in fighting infectious diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

Experts have also cautioned that withdrawing from the organization could weaken the world’s defenses against dangerous new outbreaks capable of triggering pandemics.

Here’s a look at what Trump’s decision means:

During the first Oval Office appearance of his second term, Trump signed an executive order detailing how the withdrawal process might begin.

“Ooh," Trump exclaimed as he was handed the action to sign. "That’s a big one!”

His move calls for pausing the future transfer of U.S. government funds to the organization, recalling and reassigning federal personnel and contractors working with WHO and calls on officials to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by” WHO.

This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to sever ties with WHO. In July 2020, several months after WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic and as cases surged globally, Trump’s administration officially notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the U.S. was planning to pull out of WHO, suspending funding to the agency.

President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decision on his first day in office in January 2021 — only to have Trump essentially revive it on his first day back at the White House.

It is the U.N.’s specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the world’s response to global health threats, including outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.

“A U.S. withdrawal from WHO would make the world far less healthy and safe,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law at Georgetown University. He said in an email that losing American resources would devastate WHO's global surveillance and epidemic response efforts.

Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Trump's move "surrenders our role as a global health leader and silences America’s voice in critical decisions affecting global health security.”

“We cannot make WHO more effective by walking away from it,” Frieden said in a statement. “This decision weakens America’s influence and increases the risk of a deadly pandemic.”

Yes, as long as he gets the approval of Congress and the U.S. meets its financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year. The U.S. joined WHO via a 1948 joint resolution passed by both chambers of Congress, which has subsequently been supported by all administrations. The resolution requires the U.S. to provide a one-year notice period should it decide to leave WHO.

It’s extremely bad. The U.S. has historically been among WHO’s biggest donors, providing the U.N. health agency not only with hundreds of millions of dollars, but also hundreds of staffers with specialized public health expertise.

In the last decade, the U.S. has given WHO about $160 million to $815 million every year. WHO’s yearly budget is about $2 billion to $3 billion. Losing U.S. funding could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including the effort to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats.

American agencies that work with WHO would also suffer, including the CDC. Leaving WHO would exclude the U.S. from WHO-coordinated initiatives, like determining the yearly composition of flu vaccines and quick access to critical genetic databases run by WHO, which could stall attempts to produce immunizations and medicines.

At a September campaign rally, Trump said he would “take on the corruption” at WHO and other public health institutions that he said were “dominated” by corporate power and China.

His executive order Monday said the U.S. was withdrawing from WHO “due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China and other global health crises” and cited the agency’s “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms” and its “inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”

WHO made several costly mistakes during the pandemic, including advising people against wearing masks and asserting that COVID-19 was not airborne. The agency only officially acknowledged last year that the virus is indeed spread in the air.

During its efforts to stop COVID-19, WHO also dealt with the biggest sexual abuse scandal i n its history, when media reports revealed that dozens of Congolese women had been sexually harassed or assaulted by health responders working to contain Ebola. The AP found senior managers were informed of some instances of sexual abuse when they occurred in 2019 but did little to stop them or punish perpetrators.

In a statement Tuesday, WHO said it “regrets” Trump's announcement.

“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO,” the organization said.

“For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” WHO said.

At a Geneva news briefing on Tuesday, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said the U.S. contributed 18% of WHO's budget in 2023, making it the single biggest donor that year. He declined to say what the U.S. withdrawal might mean for WHO.

Cheng reported from Toronto. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump signs an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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