In May 2023, a Georgia sheriff’s investigator visited Colin Gray to inquire about a potential online threat to commit a school shooting that may have been posted by his son, Colt. Colin denied any knowledge of the threat but vowed to take away all the guns if his son had made such a threat. Several months later, both Colt, 14, and Colin, 54, were charged in the killings of two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. Colt faces murder charges, and his father is accused of second-degree murder for providing his son with a semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting.
Authorities had previously investigated Colt a year earlier but found no clear evidence linking him to a threat posted on the social media site Discord. The investigation revealed that Colt struggled with his parents’ separation, which caused him distress at the middle school he attended. Colin described his son as being frequently taunted by other students at school, which often resulted in him feeling flustered and under pressure. Despite this, the father and son shared a bond over activities like shooting guns and hunting, with Colin encouraging Colt to spend more time outdoors.
Following an eviction in 2022 that resulted in Colin’s wife leaving him with their two younger children, Colt faced additional challenges coping with the separation. Attending middle school as a seventh-grader, Colt had few friends and was frequently picked on by classmates. Despite the hardships he faced, Colin maintained that his son was not the type to threaten violence. During a follow-up interview with investigators, Colin was at work on a construction job, highlighting the challenges he faced as the sole provider for his family.
In the aftermath of the eviction, a sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the Gray family’s former home, where guns and hunting bows were found. The deputy took possession of the weapons and ammunition for safekeeping. While the reason for eviction was not specified in the report, Colin stated that he had paid his rent. The upheaval caused by the eviction and subsequent separation took a toll on Colt, who struggled with the changes in his family dynamic. Despite the challenges he faced, his father worked to support the family and maintain a sense of normalcy for his son.
Colin Gray emphasized firearm safety and responsible use, stating that he taught Colt the seriousness of using weapons and how to handle them properly. However, the records from the investigation did not indicate that the family owned an assault-style rifle like the one used in the high school shooting. In his interviews with investigators, Colin portrayed his son as a nonviolent individual who simply wanted to go to school and avoid trouble. Ultimately, the tragedy that unfolded at Apalachee High School revealed the complex dynamics within the Gray family and the challenges Colt faced in adjusting to his parents’ separation and the struggles he endured in school.
