The father of a teenager who opened fire at a Georgia school has been arrested. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirmed it detained 54-year-old Colin Gray after his son Colt allegedly killed four and injured nine at Apalachee High School near Atlanta. Students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died along with teachers 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie in the latest tragic American school shooting.
Colt Gray appeared in court on September 6 and was warned by Judge Currie Mingledorff that he faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted on four counts of felony murder. The GBI issued a statement saying his father had been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Law enforcement officers at the FBI National Threat Operations Center began investigating Colt Gray and his father in May after receiving several anonymous tips that he had made online threats to commit a mass shooting at his school. Colt denied the allegations, and officers said they did not have evidence to hold him.
Colin Gray told the FBI at the time that he had hunting guns at home, but his son had no access to them. He also assured agents that his son “knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do, and how to use them and not use them.”
Nevertheless, law enforcement now believes Mr. Gray allowed his son to use and freely access his firearms. They are also investigating whether the 14-year-old shooter’s father bought him an AR-style rifle as a Christmas present last year. The charges against Colin Gray are said to be the toughest ever applied to a parent whose child used firearms to commit murder.
Under Georgia law, parents are held liable if they knowingly, intentionally, or negligently permit their child to possess a firearm “in circumstances where they know the minor is engaging in conduct that constitutes illegal possession.”
