The authorities in Georgia, USA, revealed on Thursday that they have arrested the father of Colt Gray, a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting incident. The father, Colin Gray, faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter for allowing his son access to firearms.
According to Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the 54-year-old Colin Gray is charged with four counts of manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of child abuse. Hosey stated that the father’s charges are directly related to his son’s actions and the permission granted for his son to possess weapons.
This case marks the latest example of prosecutors holding parents accountable for their children’s actions in school shooting incidents. In a similar case in April, James and Jennifer Crumbley from Michigan became the first couple in the United States to be convicted as parents in a high-profile school shooting case. They were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for failing to secure firearms in their home before their son killed four students in 2021, showing indifference to their son’s deteriorating mental health.
Colt Gray is facing four charges of murder as an adult and is expected to appear before a judge in the Barrow County Superior Court on Friday morning for a televised hearing. The authorities stated that Colt Gray and his father are accused of killing 14-year-old Apalachee High School students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
The arrest warrant indicates that Colt Gray allegedly used a semi-automatic assault rifle in the attack, resulting in the deaths of two students and two teachers, with nine others injured, including seven who were shot.
Authorities had previously questioned the father and son last year when the then 13-year-old Colt was suspected of posting threats to “shoot up a school” on the gaming social media platform Discord. However, the Gray father and son denied issuing any threats on Discord, with the father asserting that he kept the hunting rifle locked in a safe at home, preventing his son from accessing firearms.
Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum stated that upon reviewing reports from May 2023, no evidence was found to support pressing charges at that time. She maintained in an interview with the Associated Press, “We did not make mistakes on this matter. We did everything we could at the time.”
In the report, the father described recent photos on his phone of hunting with his son, highlighting a picture of his son with blood on his cheek after shooting his first deer, which he considered the “best day ever.”
Records from the Sheriff’s Office documented the father, Colin, expressing his son’s knowledge of the gravity of weapons, their capabilities, proper usage, and the importance of refraining from using them recklessly.
Investigators noted discrepancies in information on the Discord account, preventing immediate arrest. The personal information linked to the account, displayed in Russian, revealed digital footprints of visits in various cities in Georgia and Buffalo, New York.
The teenager explained that he ceased using the account months ago after a hacking incident compromised his account. In recent years, the United States has witnessed numerous school shooting incidents, sparking contentious debates on gun control.
The school in Georgia cancelled classes on Thursday, with people laying flowers by a makeshift memorial site and bowing their heads in grief.
Sheriff Jud Smith of Barrow County disclosed that among the nine individuals hospitalized, consisting of eight students and one teacher, it is anticipated that they will all recover.
Isaiah Hooks, a football player at Apalachee High School, recalled being in a nearby classroom when the shooting began. He expressed his distress upon hearing his classmates’ screams and gunshots, realizing that people were hurt.
Hooks remembered Richard Aspinwall, the deceased teacher who also served as his team’s coach, for his encouragement and dedication to their improvement.
According to a database maintained collaboratively by the Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University, this incident marks the 30th mass killing case in the US this year.