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Colin Gray, the father of a 14-year-old boy accused of a deadly school shooting in Georgia, has been charged with multiple serious offenses, including second-degree murder. The charges stem from his alleged role in allowing his son, Colt Gray, access to the firearm used in the attack.
The incident occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where Colt Gray is accused of killing two teachers and two students, and injuring nine others.
Colin Gray, 54, faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. Authorities allege that he knowingly allowed his son to possess the AR-15 style rifle used in the shooting.
According to law enforcement sources, the weapon was given to Colt as a gift in December 2023. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stated, "The charges are directly connected to his son's actions and allowing him to possess a weapon." This case marks one of the most severe instances where a parent has been held accountable for their child's actions in a school shooting.
The investigation revealed that Colt Gray had been flagged by the FBI in May 2023 for making online threats about a school shooting. These threats were made on Discord and included images of guns. Despite an interview with local police, where Colin Gray assured authorities that his son did not have unsupervised access to firearms, the tragic events unfolded less than a year later.
A police report from the previous year described Colt as "reserved" and "calm," with no apparent signs of violent intentions. However, the report also noted that Colt was struggling with his parents' separation and had been picked on at school. His father mentioned that Colt often hunted with him and had been photographed with a deer's blood on his cheeks.
A memorial service titled "A Light in the Dark" is scheduled to be held at Jug Tavern Park to honor the victims. The victims have been identified as Mason Schermerhorn, 14; Christian Angulo, 14; Cristina Irimie, 53; and Richard Aspinwall, 39. Chris Hosey, director of the GBI, stated, "Those that are deceased are heroes in my book."
