A grand jury in Georgia has indicted father and son, Colin and Colt Gray, for the mass shooting at Apalachee High School that resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to several others. Colt Gray faces four counts of felony murder as an adult and could face life in prison if convicted. His father, Colin Gray, has been charged for purchasing the firearm used in the shooting and giving it to his son as a Christmas present. The shooting left a total of 25 victims, including four who lost their lives. Both father and son have been indicted on multiple counts and are scheduled for arraignment on November 21.
Colt Gray has been charged with 55 counts, including felony murder, malice murder, and aggravated assault. His father, Colin Gray, faces 29 counts, which include second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless conduct. Georgia is one of 42 states across the country that holds parents criminally responsible for the actions of their children. The four victims that Colt Gray is accused of killing were two students and two teachers. Marcee Gray, Colt’s mother, claimed that she had warned the school about her son’s behavior on the morning of the shooting, indicating that teachers had noticed concerning red flags.
Marcee Gray had called the school counselor on the morning of the shooting to report a concerning message she had received from her son. Authorities have stated that Colin Gray gave his son access to a semiautomatic AR-15 style rifle used in the shooting, although it is unclear how the weapon was brought to the campus or what transpired in the two hours leading up to the shooting. Prior to the incident, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office had visited the Gray household multiple times and had identified Colt as a person of interest following a report of an online threat made when he was 13 years old. It is unknown if the Barrow County School authorities were aware of this prior to the shooting.
Both Colin and Colt Gray are set for arraignment on November 21. The allegations against them stem from the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School that took the lives of four individuals and left many others wounded. Despite warnings from Colt’s mother and previous police visits to the family home, the circumstances of how the gun was brought to the school and other details leading up to the shooting remain unclear. The case has raised questions about parental responsibility and school safety, as well as concerns about identifying and addressing potential threats before they escalate. The community continues to mourn the loss of those affected by the tragic incident, and investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of what transpired on that fateful day.
