The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people at a high school in Georgia has been arrested and charged with murder.
Colin Gray, 54, faces four charges of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight charges of child cruelty.
Authorities stated on Thursday evening that these charges were directly linked to his son’s actions and for “allowing him to possess a weapon.”
His son, Colt Gray, is accused of fatally shooting two teachers and two students during Wednesday’s attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, near Atlanta.
Colt is set to appear in court on Friday, where he will be tried as an adult on four counts of murder. Georgia state law permits minors as young as 13 to be charged as adults in certain serious crimes, exposing them to harsher penalties if convicted.
Officials are investigating whether Colin Gray purchased the AR-style weapon used in the attack as a gift for his son in December 2023.
Sources told CBS News, a partner of the BBC, that the charges against Colin Gray may be the most severe brought against a parent in a case of this nature.
In May 2023, the FBI flagged online threats linked to a school shooting, traced to an email address associated with the suspect.
A sheriff’s deputy interviewed the boy, who was 13 at the time. During the visit, Colin Gray admitted to having guns in the home but stated that his son did not have unsupervised access to them, according to a statement from the FBI released on Wednesday.
The threats were made on Discord, a platform popular with gamers, and reportedly featured images of guns.
The account’s profile name translated to the surname of the Sandy Hook shooter, who killed 26 people in 2012.
A police report detailing the 2023 interview described Colt Gray as “reserved” and “calm,” and he denied making any threats to attack a school.
He claimed to have deleted his Discord account due to repeated hacking. Colin Gray also told officers that his son had been bullied at school and was coping with the separation of his parents, which was ongoing at the time.
Court records show that the boy’s mother and father were in the process of divorcing, with the boy residing with his father during the split.
Colt’s maternal grandfather, Charlie Polhamus, told the New York Times that he partly attributes his grandson’s actions to the difficult home life after his parents’ separation.
“My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in,” Polhamus said, adding, “I understand my grandson did a horrendous thing… he’s going to pay the price for it.”
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, during a Thursday news conference, confirmed that all nine people injured in the shooting were expected to recover, with several already released from the hospital.
The victims included 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.
Witnesses recounted that Colt Gray left an algebra class on Wednesday morning and later tried to re-enter the room.
When some students saw him holding a weapon, they stepped back. Moments later, they heard 10 to 15 gunshots. School police officers quickly confronted Colt, and he surrendered without further incident.
This is not the first time parents of a school shooter have faced criminal charges. In April, the parents of a Michigan teen who killed four students using a gun they had bought for him days earlier were found guilty of manslaughter.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Their case was widely reported as the first instance of parents being held criminally liable for their child’s mass shooting.
Source-BBC
