Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect arrested on manslaughter, murder charges

Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect arrested on manslaughter, murder charges

The father of 14-year-old student Colt Gray, the suspect in the Georgia school shooting that took place on Wednesday, September 4, has been arrested.

“The GBI, in conjunction with U.S. District Attorney Brad Smith, has arrested Colin Gray, age 54, in connection with the Apalachee High School shooting. Colin is the father of Colt Gray,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement on X, Thursday, September 5.

According to the department, Colin has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. His son Colt has been charged with four counts of murder.

Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, the site of a mass shooting that left four dead.

CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty


At a news conference Thursday night, authorities said Colin’s charges stem from “the fact that Mr. Gray knowingly allowed his son Colt to possess a weapon.”

The Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, left four people dead: students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Autopsies were performed on the four victims Thursday, according to the GBI.

The nine people injured in the shooting are expected to make a “full recovery,” according to the press conference.

Victims of the Apalachee High School shooting (clockwise from top left): Christian Angulo, Richard Aspinwall, Mason Schermerhorn, and Christina Irimie.

In May 2023, Colt was questioned by police about alleged threats he made to commit a school shooting, the FBI Atlanta division said in an earlier statement.

“The father stated that he had hunting rifles in his home, but the suspect did not have unescorted access to them. The suspect denied making the threats online,” FBI Atlanta said.

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While FBI Atlanta said there was no probable cause for an arrest or further law enforcement action, local schools were notified for “continued monitoring of the subject.”

This story is still in development.