Tragedy at Apalachee High: 14‑year-old suspect and father arrested
On Wednesday, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, a tragic event occurred, resulting in the death of four individuals. The perpetrator of the gruesome shooting turned out to be 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the same school. In connection with the tragedy, the teenager's father, Colin Gray, was arrested.
6:04 AM EDT, September 6, 2024
On Wednesday, a tragic shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, USA. As a result of the attack, two students and two teachers were killed: Mason Schermerhorn, Christian Angulo, Richard Aspenwall, and Christin Irimie, and nine other individuals were injured.
As confirmed at a press conference by Chris Hosey, the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the person responsible for the massacre is 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the same school. The teenager was detained at the scene. His motive remains unknown.
The day after the tragedy, the teenager's father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was also arrested. The man was charged with, among other things, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder, and child cruelty. How is this possible?
As Hosey explained, the charges against the father stem from the fact that he knowingly allowed his son to possess a firearm. According to investigators, Colin Gray purchased the gun that Colt used during the shooting as a Christmas present in December 2023. This information comes from law enforcement officials, as reported by CNN.
Shooting in the USA: Condition of the injured
Despite the tragic fatalities, nine injured individuals – both students and teachers – have a chance for a full recovery. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith conveyed that some injured are still in the hospital, while others have already been discharged.
Apalachee High School: The 14-year-old was already known to the authorities
Reports indicate that the alleged teenage assailant had previously been questioned by law enforcement. The FBI confirmed that a year earlier, it investigated online threats in which the suspect posted photos of firearms. Investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office found the suspect then and interviewed both him and his father, who assured that the son "did not have unsupervised access to them."
Meanwhile, during a Thursday press conference, it was revealed that Colin Gray admitted during earlier interrogations to having firearms in the home, which were accessible to his son.
Colt is allowed to use them when supervised but does not have unfettered access to them — Colin Gray reportedly told investigators, adding that his family often hunts and his son recently hunted his first deer.
The father also added that his son claimed his account, which had been hacked from which the threats were sent.
Colin reportedly told investigators he would be furious if it had turned out that his son was the one sending those threats, assuring that in such a case all guns would be taken away.
Despite previous concerns and interrogations, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office did not decide to press charges then, stating that there was insufficient evidence.
We did all we could do with what we had at the time — Sheriff Janis Mangum told the Associated Press, referring to the investigation conducted a year earlier.
Second such case in history
The arrest of Colin Gray is the second case in history where the parent of a school shooter was held criminally responsible through involvement in the crime.
Previously, similar charges were brought against James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the perpetrator of the shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. At that time, prosecutors accused the parents of purchasing the firearm used in the attack as a Christmas present. Both parents were sentenced to at least ten years in prison.
