WINDER, Ga. — On Thursday, the father of a 14-year-old boy implicated in a tragic mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia entered a not guilty plea regarding the charges filed against him.
Colin Gray, who did not attend the court session, had his legal representatives inform the judge during a succinct hearing that their client would plead not guilty and forgo a formal arraignment. This practice is typical in the state of Georgia, where defendants often choose to enter a plea while also waiving the arraignment process.
Both Colin and his son, Colt Gray, faced charges stemming from the tragic incident that took place on September 4, resulting in the deaths of two teachers and two students, along with additional injuries. Colt Gray is being treated as an adult and has been indicted on numerous counts, totaling 55, including murder and an extensive list of aggravated assault charges related to the attack at the school. Colin Gray, meanwhile, was indicted on 29 counts, which encompass two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter, in addition to several counts related to child cruelty.
Colt Gray had entered a not guilty plea in the previous month, opting to waive his arraignment as well. Currently, he is being held at a juvenile detention facility in Gainesville, while his father, aged 54, remains incarcerated in Barrow County jail. Neither of the Grays has pursued any bail options.
The tragic shooting resulted in the deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, alongside two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Eight other students, along with another teacher, sustained injuries, with seven of the injured being shot.
Colin Gray marks a significant case as he becomes the first adult charged in connection with a school shooting in Georgia. His indictment reflects a national trend where prosecutors seek accountability from parents for their children’s violent behaviors in school shootings. A notable case involved Michigan parents Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were the first to be convicted in a mass school shooting in the U.S.; they received prison sentences of at least 10 years after failing to secure a firearm and ignoring alarming signs related to their son’s mental health prior to the tragic events that resulted in the death of four students in 2021.
Authorities have reported that Colt Gray allegedly brought a semiautomatic assault-style rifle onto a school bus, concealing it within a poster board while allowing the barrel to protrude from his backpack. Investigators further revealed that he meticulously organized the assault, drafting diagrams and estimating potential casualties in a notebook. The sequence of events unfolded when he exited a bathroom during his second-period class, armed with the rifle, initiating gunfire in a classroom and the surrounding hallways.