Georgia School Shooting: Who is Colin Gray, father of the 14-year-old suspected gunman?

Georgia State Officials arrested Colin Graythe father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, suspected of carrying out Wednesday’s shooting in Apalachee High School. gray foal An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was allegedly used in the attack, which left four dead and nine wounded. Authorities are investigating how the teenager obtained the weapon, which was apparently purchased by his father months after the family was questioned about possible threats to the school.

Investigators revealed that Colt Gray’s rifle was used to kill two teachers and two students at the high school. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirmed Colin Gray’s arrest on Thursday. “In coordination with District Attorney Brad Smith, the GBI arrested Colin Gray, 54, in connection with the shooting at Apalachee High School. Colin is the father of Colt Gray,” the GBI posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Last year, both father and son were questioned by local authorities after threats appeared on a Discord account hinting at violence at a school. However, at the time, there was no concrete evidence linking them to the threats. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum explained, “This case was worked on, and at the time, the child was 13, and it wasn’t enough to substantiate it. If we get a warrant or charge someone, we seize the firearms for safekeeping.”

Despite Colin Gray’s assurances that his son did not have unsupervised access to hunting weapons kept in the home, investigators believe the rifle used in the recent shooting was purchased after the initial investigation. According to a timeline provided by Colin Gray, the purchase of the gun occurred months after authorities’ investigation. The ease with which Colt Gray gained access to the gun remains a crucial point in the ongoing investigation.

“This case was pursued extensively last year, but at that time, the evidence was not strong enough to seize their weapons,” Mangum added. “If we had solid evidence, we would have kept the weapons for safekeeping.”

Jackson County Investigators The 2023 case had already been closed because they could not link the Grays to the online threats or justify the theft of their firearms. Now, the case has resurfaced with new urgency as investigators focus on whether warning signs were missed and what more could have been done to prevent Colt Gray from obtaining the gun used in the tragedy. Colt Gray was arrested shortly after the shooting and is being held without bail at the Gainesville Regional Juvenile Detention Center. The GBI announced that he would be tried as an adult and that his arraignment was scheduled for Friday morning via video in Barrow County Superior Court.

This tragic shooting is the first to occur at a U.S. school this academic year. Authorities are looking at past interactions with the Gray family and other possible preventative measures to understand how a tragedy of this magnitude could have been avoided.