WINDER, Ga. — During a recent court hearing, prosecutors revealed that the father of a teenager accused in a fatal high school shooting in Georgia was aware of his son’s fascination with school shooters. Evidence presented indicated that Colin Gray, the father, permitted his son, Colt Gray, to create a shrine in his bedroom honoring Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting.
Colin Gray reportedly gifted Colt an assault-style weapon, which was used in the tragic incident that claimed the lives of four individuals at Apalachee High School on September 4. Despite being aware of his son’s declining mental health prior to the shooting, Colin Gray gave Colt the firearm as a Christmas present. As a juvenile, Colt, age 14, faces four counts of murder but will not receive a death penalty; the severest punishment he could receive is life imprisonment without parole.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Kelsey Ward testified that Colin had questioned Colt about the images displayed in his room. When asked, Colt mentioned that one of the individuals portrayed was Cruz, the notorious shooter from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy. Various family members, including Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, were interviewed by investigators. She disclosed that Colt’s obsession with firearms had escalated significantly over the course of the year leading up to the incident.
In a concerning interaction, Colt reportedly requested his father to buy him a fully black “shooter mask,” joking about completing a school shooter outfit. Although discussions regarding Colt’s interest in school shooters took place between his parents, they dismissed it as a harmless jest rather than a serious concern, according to Ward’s testimony.
Colin Gray testified that he bought the weapon for Colt, with Barrow County sheriff’s investigator Jason Smith confirming that Colt later solicited his father for a larger magazine to accommodate more ammunition, which Colin approved. Smith added that Colin also acquired ammunition for the firearm.
Charges against Colin Gray include involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder for supplying the firearm to his son, fully aware that Colt posed a potential danger to himself and others. The defense attorneys for Gray, Jimmy Berry and Brian Hobbs, chose not to comment publicly on the case after the hearing, focusing instead on questioning witnesses.
Following the judge’s ruling that the prosecution had met the necessary criteria, the case will now advance to Superior Court. This legal action comes in the wake of the convictions of parents Jennifer and James Crumbley in Michigan, marking a significant moment in holding parents accountable for failing to secure firearms and recognizing their child’s mental health issues. This case in Georgia has reignited discussions about safe gun storage practices and the importance of open conversations between parents and children regarding school shootings and the associated trauma.
Colt Gray has denied making threats of a school shooting during a previous police inquiry regarding a concerning social media post. The sheriff’s report indicated that conflicting evidence hindered law enforcement from proceeding with any arrests at that time. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum reviewed an earlier report and concluded that there were no grounds for charges.