ATLANTA — A grand jury in Georgia has officially indicted a father and son in connection with a tragic mass shooting incident at Apalachee High School located in Winder.
According to local reports, the Barrow County grand jury handed down the indictment on 14-year-old Colt Gray, accusing him of 55 charges which include four counts of malice murder and four counts of felony murder, alongside charges of aggravated assault and cruelty to children. His father, Colin Gray, is facing a total of 29 charges, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless conduct. Both individuals are set to be arraigned on November 21, during which they will formally enter their pleas. Colin Gray is currently held in the Barrow County jail, while his son, charged as an adult, is detained at a juvenile facility in Gainesville. There have been no requests for bail from either party, and their legal representatives have opted not to comment on the case.
Evidence presented by investigators indicates that Colt Gray carried a semiautomatic rifle onto the school bus that morning, concealing the weapon in a backpack under a poster board. Reports suggest that he exited a restroom armed with the rifle, subsequently opening fire in both the classroom and hallways. The shooting resulted in the deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, aged 39 and 53 respectively, along with two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Additionally, one teacher and eight other students sustained injuries, with seven of them being struck by gunfire.
Investigators allege that the teenager meticulously planned the attack, leaving behind a notebook filled with detailed instructions outlining his preparation steps for the shooting. This notebook included a classroom diagram and an estimation of potentially killing 26 individuals while injuring 13 others, with a note expressing surprise at the thought of surviving such an incident.
There had been numerous indicators suggesting that Colt Gray was experiencing significant emotional issues. In May 2023, both Colt and Colin Gray were questioned regarding an online threat tied to Colt; he denied culpability at the time. Colt had just transferred to Apalachee after the academic year commenced, coinciding with his frequent absences from school. On August 14, he reportedly suffered a severe anxiety attack, and a school counselor noted that he expressed suicidal thoughts and exhibited uncontrollable shaking while in her presence.
In August, Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, who resided separately, informed investigators that she had confronted Colin about the necessity of securing firearms and limiting Colt’s access to them. Rather than adhering to these requests, records indicate that Colin purchased ammunition and other shooting gear for his son. Plans were made to admit Colt to a mental health facility in Athens on August 31 after he expressed a desire for intensive treatment, but the arrangement fell through due to a dispute between his parents regarding firearm access and Colin claiming a lack of transportation funds the previous day.
Colin Gray has been arrested on charges which include second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child cruelty and remains in Barrow County custody without bail. His legal counsel has also refrained from commenting on the situation.
His arrest reflects an ongoing trend in which prosecutors seek accountability from parents in school shooting cases. An example can be drawn from the Michigan parents Jennifer and James Crumbley, who became the first to be convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting case and received sentences of over a decade in prison for failing to secure a firearm at home while ignoring warning signs of their son’s mental health crisis prior to him killing four students in 2021.
During a preliminary hearing for Colin Gray, District Attorney Brad Smith highlighted that Colin had primary custody of Colt, was aware of his son’s fascination with school shootings, and had knowledge of his declining mental health, asserting that Colin facilitated the means for the horrific act.
