The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) disclosed how Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray snuck a gun into school that day.
Gray is accused of fatally shooting two students and two teachers on September 4. He has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult.
His father, Colin Gray, was also arrested in connection with the deadly shooting. He has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Officials claim that Colin Gray “knowingly” allowed Colt Gray to have a gun. Colin Gray has custody of his son.
The father allegedly gave his son the assault-style rifle as a Christmas gift.
The assault style weapon Colt Gray used could not be broken down, but he was able to hide it in his backpack, according to the GBI.
Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray allegedly hid a gun in his backpack before the deadly incident. Many schools in the community reopened this week for the first time since the shooting, but the high school remains closed.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart and Barrow County Sheriff’s Office
Officials said that Apalachee High School does not have metal detectors.
Later that day, Colt Gray asked one of his teachers if he could go to the front office to speak with someone, according to investigators.
“The teacher allowed him to leave and take his belongings with him. [Colt] Gray went to the restroom and hid from teachers. Later, he took out the rifle, and began shooting,” investigators said.
Colt Gray’s mother, Marcee Gray, was reportedly scheduled to speak with investigators on Thursday.
Marcee Gray also released a letter to the victims’ families claiming she is “sorry from the bottom of [her] heart”
“We are all in a living nightmare right now, and I will personally never forgive myself for what has happened,” Marcee Gray wrote.
She added that her son is “not a monster.”
“He is my oldest baby,” she said. “He is quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny, and extremely intelligent. Please pray for him and the rest of our family, as I am praying for all of you every moment of every day.”
Schools in Barrow County, with the exception of Apalachee High School, reopened on Tuesday for the first time since the mass shooting.
Students and faculty as well as community members gather for a vigil after a shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia. Four fatalities and multiple injuries have been reported, and a 14-year-old suspect is in custody according to authorities.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
“Today we opened our doors, arms, and hearts to our students as many returned to school for the first time since Wednesday,” Barrow County School System superintendent Dr. Dallas LeDuff said in a statement posted to the district’s website. “It was an emotional day on many levels, but I am proud to say that thanks to our exceptional teachers, principals, and staff, our students were able to enjoy learning together.”
A reopening date for the high school has not been announced yet.
“We continue to plan for the reopening of Apalachee and will communicate directly with our CHEE families in the days ahead. We can’t wait to see you,” LeDuff said. “Thank you for your grace and patience as we walk this road together. Our Barrow community is stronger together and we are grateful for your support.”
Case ‘Eerily Similar’ to Oxford HS Mass Shooter
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald spoke to Newsweek and while she says it’s “still too early” to compare then-15-year-old Michigan assassin Ethan Crumbley and alleged Georgia shooter Colt Gray, 14 themselves, their cases are “eerily similar.”
McDonald says both Crumbley’s father, James Crumbley, and Colt Gray’s father Colin Gray, bought their sons the guns used in the school shootings as Christmas gifts.
“There are also allegations that there was some concern over his [Colt Gray’s] mental state and him being in crisis, so that is eerily similar,” she said.
In December 2023, Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting deaths of four classmates, wounding six others, as well as a teacher. Psychologist Colin King later testified that Crumbley was experiencing psychosis, a break from reality, at the time of the shooting and determined he had major depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Crumbley’s parents James and Jennifer Crumbley also became the first parents to be convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a US mass school shooting. For that, they were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.
While the Crumbley parents’ convictions made history, McDonald says she is uncomfortable taking a “victory lap” for bringing the charges against them.
“I believe it was the right thing to do,” she told Newsweek. “I think it brings some validation to victims that people are being held accountable, but it doesn’t take away their pain, and it certainly didn’t prevent it from happening again, which is hard. It’s very hard, but if nothing else, maybe, hopefully, it will have people asking the right questions, like, ‘where did this person get the gun?'”
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