Georgia school shooting: Colt Gray appeared in court as more charges planned against suspect, DA says
Apalachee High School shooting suspect and his father Colin Gray both appeared in a Georgia courthouse this morning
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Georgia school mass shooting suspect Colt Gray and his father Colin Gray faced a judge Friday at the Barrow County Courthouse in Georgia for their arraignment.
Judge Currie Mingledorff II told the Apalachee High School shooting suspect that he could face life in prison if convicted on any of the four felony murder counts held against him. The 14-year-old is being tried as an adult, however, the judge ruled out the possibility of a death sentence due to being younger than 18.
Colin Gray, 54, who faced Judge Mingledorff in the same courtroom about 45 minutes after his son, was told he could be sentenced up to 180 years in prison. The dad faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Colt Gray is accused of opening fire on staff and students at Apalachee High School in Winder with an AR-style rifle, resulting in the deaths of two 14-year-old pupils and two teachers on Wednesday.
His father allegedly bought the semi-automatic weapon for his son as a Christmas present.
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Unanswered questions in the wake of the Apalachee shooting
Several unanswered questions remain more than 24 hours after a shooter at Apalachee High School took the lives of two teachers and two students.
Could the suspected gunman have been stopped?
Suspected gunman Colt Gray, 14, was questioned by police in May 2023 over internet posts that contained images of guns, the FBI said. Gray allegedly denied being behind the posts.
What kind of gun was used?
Officials say Gray used an “AR-platform style weapon” to kill four people and injure nine others on Wednesday. However, the exact model is still unclear.
Where did the suspected gunman obtain the gun?
Investigators are also looking into where the suspected gunman obtained the gun. Last year when the FBI first interviewed the teen, his father said that there were hunting guns in the family home, but that Gray, then 13, did not have unsupervised access to them.
What was the suspected gunman’s motive?
The FBI is still investigating potential motives for the shooting. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said investigators still don’t know if there was a relationship between the suspected shooter and the victims.
Colt Gray told police he would never shoot up a school when they visited his house after FBI reported threats
The teenage suspect in the Georgia mass shooting told police he would never shoot up a school when he was questioned over online threats about a potential school shooting one year before the attack, it has been revealed.
Colt Gray, 14, who previously appeared on the FBI’s radar, is accused of opening fire with an AR-style rifle, at Apalachee High School in the city of Winder on Wednesday which left four people – two students and two teachers – dead. He surrendered to authorities on the scene and will be charged with murder and tried as an adult.
Now it has emerged that the FBI and the police had interviewed Gray and his father Colin Gray in May 2023 over “online threats to commit a school shooting,” from the social media platform Discord, which contained photographs of guns, the FBI’s Atlanta office said in a statement.
Read on:
Colt Gray told cops he would never shoot up a school during threat investigation
Colt Gray, the teen suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, and his father were interviewed by police in 2023 over online threats to commit a school shooting, the FBI said
What we know about the Apalachee High School shooting that left four dead in Georgia
Yesterday, gunfire broke out at Apalachee High School.
Two teachers and two 14-year-old students are now dead, with nine others hospitalized for their injuries. Now, 14-year-old suspected gunman Colt Gray is in custody and expected to be charged as an adult.
Here’s everything we know so far about the shooting, from The Independent’s Kelly Rissman:
What we know about the Apalachee High School shooting that left four dead in Georgia
Shooting at high school in rural Winder is the 385th mass shooting in the country this year
Shooting suspect’s father tells authorities he bought son gun as Christmas present
The Georgia suspect’s father has told investigators that he bought his son the weapon used in the school shooting as a Christmas gift last December, according to CNN.
Two law enforcement sources told the network that Colt Gray’s father, Colin Gray, said he purchased the gun used to kill two 14-year-old students and two teachers.
The purchase came months after the FBI received anonymous tips in May 2023 about online threats to carry out a school shooting.
The bureau turned over evidence to the Jackson County Sheriff’s office, which interviewed Gray and his father, who told them that there were hunting guns in the house but that the then 13-year-old did not have “unsupervised access” to them.
In a post on X after the shooting, the FBI said that there had been no probable cause at the time for an arrest or additional law enforcement action.
Georgia shooting: Video shows students cowering in classroom as police sweep building
Colt Gray’s father charged with murder over Georgia school shooting
The father of suspect Colt Gray has been arrested in connection with the shooting at Apalachee High School, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Earlier on Thursday CNN reported that Colin Gray had told investigators he bought his son the assault rifle allegedly used to kill two students and two teachers as a Christmas present last year.
The purchase came months after the FBI told local law enforcement in May 2023 about anonymous online threats about a school shooting. Colt Gray denied he was behind them and no arrest or other legal action was taken.
Father of suspected Georgia school shooter arrested
Father of suspected Georgia school shooter arrested
Father reportedly bought gun son allegedly used in school shooting
Father of suspect charged for ‘knowingly allowing’ son to have a weapon
Charges were brought against Colt Gray’s father for “knowingly allowing” the teenage shooting suspect to have a gun, Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, told reporters on Thursday night.
Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Georgia gun laws put few limits on youths possessing rifles
More details are emerging about the circumstances that allegedly led to yesterday’s school shooting in Georgia.
Colin Gray, 54, the father of alleged gunman Colt Gray, 14, reportedly purchased his son a high-powered AR 15-style rifle as a holiday gift in 2023 that was later allegedly used in the Georgia shooting, which killed four people and hospitalized nine others.
The purchase came months after local police interviewed the Grays, after the FBI received tips about online warnings to commit a school shooting that could be traced to a social media account belonging to Colt. The student denied making the threats and no arrests were made at the time.
There is no minimum age requirement to possess a rifle under federal and state firearms law in Georgia, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, but individuals must be 18 or older to buy one under both sets of rules.
Colin and Colt Gray are now both facing charges over the shooting.
ICYMI: Colt Gray charged with four counts of felony murder
Colt Gray, the 14-year-old suspected gunman who killed four people at Apalachee High School, has been charged with four counts of felony murder, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Additional charges are expected. His first court appearance will be tomorrow morning.
Authorities will perform autopsies on the four victims later today as investigators look into the shooter’s motive.
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