In Romania, she heard church bells. They tolled for her child, slain in GA school shooting

WINDER, Georgia − Cristina Irimie's mother was at home in her tiny Romanian village last week when she heard church bells tolling, a sign that a member of the community had died.

The bells, she soon learned, were in honor of her own daughter, a math teacher at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgoa. Cristina Irimie was gunned down Wednesday − one of four people killed in last week's shooting for which a 14-year-old faces murder changes.

Only days before, Cristina's mother, Anuta, had left her daughter after a family visit to Georgia and the Atlanta area's thriving Romanian Orthodox community. Now, an ocean away, church bells in Apoldu de Jos, her hamlet of 1,100 people, tolled with tragedy.

She "heard the bell and asked her son, 'Oh, maybe somebody died,'" George Acsente, Irimie's pastor at Saints Constantine and Helen Romanian Orthodox Church in Lilburn, Georgia, told USA TODAY. It was then that her son, the victim’s brother, broke down and shared the terrible news.

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Two students and two teachers were slain in the Wednesday shooting at Apalachee High. Student Colt Gray, 14, has been charged as an adult with four counts of murder. His father, Colin Gray, is also charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children for allowing his son to have access to the AR-14-style rifle used in the slaughter.

Georgia his home to more than 8,000 members of the Romanian diaspora, with a close knit community located northeast of Atlanta. It's here and Christina Irimie and her husband Dorin participated in cultural and church activities, keeping strong the link between suburban Georgia and her roots in the Transylvania region.

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Dorin Irimie was struggling with the violent loss of his wife. "He's very angry," Acsente said. "He keeps saying, 'They took my baby away.'"

"I try to calm him down," the pastor added. "I stayed probably until one o'clock in the morning with him."

The couple first emigrated to the U.S. 23 years ago, trading the shadows of the Carpathian Mountains for Interstate 75 and a booming Georgia economy. Cristina Irimie soon became a familiar face, volunteering generous hours to teach the kids traditional Romanian dances or tutor them in math. She also joined other women in the church kitchen to prepare traditional foods, her friend Nicolae Clempus said. For twice-yearly Romanian festivals, she helped the children prepare a dance showcase.

Dorin Irimie may attend another service for Irimie scheduled for Saturday at the church, Acsente said, but "I have no idea how he's going to handle it."