Georgia School Shooting Suspect and His Father Make First Court Appearances

Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Sep. 4, tragedy struck Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia when 14-year- old Colt Gray left his class only to return with an automatic rifle and began to open fire on the school. The shooter injured seven people and killed four victims. Gray was arrested and charged with four counts of felony murder. 

His father 54-year-old Colin Gray was arrested in connection to the shooting. He appeared in court with his son handcuffed where he was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. Gray will be tried as an adult due to Georgia law. Gray bought the gun used in the shooting as a Christmas present to his son. 

This shooting marks the 45th school shooting to happen this year. “Colt Gray will remain in the custody of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice until his 17th birthday – even though his case has been moved to the adult system,” an agency spokesperson, told CNN on Thursday. Under Georgia law, if a juvenile aged 13 to 17 commits a serious crime, they are automatically tried as an adult. This isn’t the first time the police have had to look into Colt Gray. 

In 2023, the FBI gave the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office a tip made in a Discord chatroom about plans to attack Gray’s school. The account was determined by the Bureau to have the address of Colt Gray. Authorities contacted Gray’s family about an investigation into school shooting threats online. 

“Colt, who was 13 during the interview, said someone is accusing him of threatening to shoot up a school, stating that he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner,” said Daniel Miller, Jr., an investigator at Jackson County Sheriff who was interviewed by CNN. The case was closed because the claims could not be substantiated and there was a lack of evidence.  

Before the Apalachee tragedy the police received a phone call and five threats at five different schools before the shooting. According to the NY Post, Colt Gray’s mother raced to the school to blow the whistle on her son and prevent the bloodshed. The school officials wrongfully took the bag of another student with a similar name who coincidentally exited the classroom before the shooting.