On Thursday, September 5th, authorities announced the arrest of Colin Gray, the father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, who is accused of killing four people during a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Colin Gray, 54, faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and cruelty to children after allegedly purchasing the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas gift for his son in December 2023.
Colt Gray is accused of killing two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, along with math teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured in the attack, seven of whom were students. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirmed that Colin Gray’s charges stem from his “knowing allowance” of his son’s possession of the deadly weapon. The elder Gray had been contacted by authorities months before the shooting regarding threats made online by Colt but claimed his son did not have unsupervised access to firearms.
Colt Gray, who surrendered to school resource officers after the shooting, now faces four counts of felony murder. His case is expected to be tried in the adult system due to the seriousness of the crime. Authorities revealed that Colt had posted disturbing content online, including photos of guns, and was visited by authorities in 2023 in response to threats of a school shooting, though no charges were filed at that time.
The shooting, which occurred on Colt’s second day at Apalachee High School, is the deadliest in the United States since the March 2023 Covenant School massacre. Witnesses described hearing 10 to 15 gunshots and said Colt targeted a nearby classroom after being refused entry into his Algebra class. School resource officers quickly arrived, confronting the shooter and taking him into custody.
All nine injured survivors are expected to recover. The community remains shaken, with Apalachee High canceling its upcoming football game in mourning for Coach Aspinwall, who was one of the victims. Investigators are continuing to probe whether the 2023 threats are connected to the shooting.
