A beloved football coach, who was among four victims killed in a high school shooting in Barrow County, Georgia, on Wednesday morning, was remembered as a “leader of men” who passed on the “old-school ways” of the game to the children he coached.
Ricky Aspinwall, a 39-year-old husband and father of two young daughters, taught math at Apalachee High School, where he was also the football team’s defensive coordinator.
Mike Hancock, the school’s head football coach, told the Athens Banner-Herald that Aspinwall was “a great dad” who loved his wife and their two daughters and was also respected in the game of football.
“He worked his tail off,” Hancock said. “He coached old-school ways, but he loved those kids. It’s heartbreaking really for our kids, but for his wife and his two daughters…”
Aspinwall was killed when the alleged 14-year-old shooter opened fire inside the school. Math teacher Christina Irimie and students Mason Shermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were also killed. Authorities said nine others were wounded in the shooting.
The suspected shooter, a student at Apalachee High School, will be charged with murder and prosecuted as an adult, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.
Hancock said Aspinwall was one of his first hires when he took over the Apalachee football program last year. Aspinwall previously coached football at Mountain View High School.
The Mountain View football program posted a tribute to Aspinwall on social media.
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“With deepest sympathy we share that former MV secondary coach Ricky Aspinwall was tragically lost during the senseless act at a nearby high school today,” the post read. “Coach A was a beloved member of MVHS football and the school’s math department. We pray for Shayna and his girls.”
The post shared a photo of Aspinwall, his wife and their two young daughters with the caption, “Coach Aspinwall was a leader of men, and a man you want to coach your kid. We love Coach A, and are praying for his wife Shayna and his girls at this time.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Aspinwell’s family.
“We are all in shock over the news that Ricky Aspinwall lost his life protecting his students,” a post on the fundraiser read.
Local, state and federal law enforcement are continuing to investigate the shooting.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
