Georgia school shooting: Father arrested for role in tragedy

On Wednesday, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, a tragic event unfolded, resulting in the death of four individuals. The perpetrator of this harrowing incident was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the same school. In connection with the incident, the teenager's father, Colin Gray, was subsequently arrested.

On Wednesday, a tragic shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, USA. As a result of the attack, two students and two teachers - Mason Schermerhorn, Christian Angulo, Richard Aspenwall, and Christin Irimie - were killed, and nine other people were injured.

During a press conference, Chris Hosey, the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, confirmed that 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the school, is responsible for the incident. The teenager was detained at the scene, but his motive remains unknown.

A day after the tragedy, the teenager's father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was also arrested. He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder, and cruelty to children. How did this all come to pass?

As explained by Hosey, the charges against the father stem from the fact that he knowingly allowed his son to possess a firearm. According to investigators, Colin Gray purchased the gun that Colt used during the shooting as a Christmas present in December 2023. This information comes from law enforcement officers cited by CNN.

Despite the tragic fatalities, the nine injured persons – both students and teachers – have a chance of full recovery. Barrow County Sheriff, Jud Smith, stated that some of the injured are still in hospital, while some have already been discharged.

Reports indicate that the alleged teenage assailant had previously been questioned by law enforcement. The FBI confirmed that a year earlier, it had investigated online threats in which the suspect posted photos of firearms. Investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office then found the suspect. They conducted interviews with both him and his father, who assured them that his son "did not have unsupervised access to weapons."

Meanwhile, during a press conference on Thursday, it was revealed that Colin Gray had previously admitted to investigators that there were accessible weapons in their home, although they were not loaded. Colin Gray reportedly added that his family often hunts together and that his son had recently hunted his first deer.

They are not loaded, but they are within reach - Colin Gray is believed to have told investigators, adding that his family often hunts and his son recently hunted his first deer.

Colin Gray also mentioned that his son claimed his account, from which the threats were sent, had been hacked.

I would be furious if it turned out that he was sending those threats - Colin is believed to have told investigators, assuring that in such a case "all weapons would have been taken away."

Despite earlier concerns and interrogations, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office did not press charges at that time, claiming insufficient evidence.

We did not fail in this matter - said Sheriff Janis Mangum to the Associated Press, referring to the investigation conducted a year earlier.

Colin Gray's arrest marks the second case in history where a school shooter's parent has been held criminally responsible for facilitating the crime.

Previously, similar charges were brought against James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the perpetrator of the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan. In that instance, prosecutors accused the parents of purchasing the gun their son used in the attack as a Christmas present. Both parents were sentenced to at least ten years in prison.