DAD'S 'PRIDE'
Apalachee ‘shooter’ Colt Gray’s dad boasted about son shooting first deer & ‘bought him assault rifle for Christmas’
His father gifted him a rifle just months after an FBI interview over school shooting threats
THE father of suspected school shooter Colt Gray proudly boasted to cops about his son's first kill a year before his alleged killing spree.
Gray, 14, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony murder after allegedly carrying out the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday.
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In what was the state's deadliest school shooting, two students and two teachers were killed and nine others were wounded.
Shortly after the teen was named as a suspect in the attack, it was revealed that the FBI had interviewed him and his father Colin last year over school shooting threats made online.
In May 2023, an investigation was launched into online threats featuring "photographs of guns" from a Discord account that was traced back to Georgia, the FBI revealed in a statement.
After following "several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time," Gray and his father were interviewed.
What we know so far...
- Four people are dead, and nine others were injured, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations confirmed.
- Students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Christian Angulo, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie were identified as those killed.
- 14-year-old student Colt Gray was named as the suspected shooter.
- Gray's father arrested and charged with murder over school shooting
- Gray and his dad were interviewed by the FBI a year before after authorities received online threats of a possible school shooting.
- A classmate said Gray was blocked from entering a classroom by a student who spotted his gun.
- Devastating texts revealed student's fear.
- New panic buttons hidden in school prevented 'much larger tragedy'
An audio clip from the interview with the then 53-year-old father has since been released by cops in which he appeared to be proud about his son's first kill with a hunting rifle.
Colin Gray, who was arrested and charged on Thursday in relation to his son's alleged high school rampage, confirmed to cops that they had weapons in the house and that his son had access to them.
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"We do a lot of shooting, we do a lot of deer hunting," he said.
"He actually shot his first deer this year."
The father then boasted about his son's kill showing cops a photograph of the then 13-year-old covered in deer blood.
"The picture on my phone is of him with blood on his cheeks from shooting his first deer - just the greatest day ever," Gray said.
Mason Schermerhorn, 14, among four dead in Apalachee school shooting after suspect Colt Gray ‘opened fire’ on students
He also acknowledged that he and his son spoke a lot about old school shootings, insisting the teenager "knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do."
The allegations that Gray had made the online school shooting threats left his father "in shock" and "p****d off," Colin claimed.
"I'm gonna be mad as hell if he did [make the threats] and then all the guns will go away and they won't be accessible to him," he said.
The father added that he had been working to teach his son about firearms and safety and wanted to get him outside and away from video games.
Timeline of Apalachee High School shooting
Below is a timeline of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4:
8:30 am - First period begins at AHS
9:45 am - Suspect Colt Gray leaves algebra class, according to his classmate
10:20 am - Police start to receive calls about an active shooter
10:23 am - Law enforcement officers are dispatched to school and arrive in minutes
10:45 am - AHS sends message to parents saying the school is in a hard lockdown
11:20 am - Students are evacuated to the football field
11:56 am - Barrow County Sheriff’s Office reports a suspect is in custody
2:13 pm - Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirms four people were killed and nine were hospitalized with injuries
Cops told Colin to "keep his firearms locked up" and advised him to keep his son away from school until the issue was resolved as there was "no probable cause for arrest" at that time.
However, it was revealed on Thursday that just months later Colin gifted his son the AR-15-style rifle that was allegedly used in Wednesday's shooting as a Christmas gift.
Cops subsequently charged the 54-year-old with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The picture on my phone is of him with blood on his cheeks from shooting his first deer - just the greatest day ever.
Colin Gray
At the time of the FBI investigation, Gray denied making any threats online, claiming his Discord account had been hacked.
"Colt expressed concern that someone is accusing him of threatening to shoot up a school, stating that he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner," investigators said in their report.
The FBI determined there wasn't enough evidence for an arrest at the time, but continued monitoring the teenager.
Cops have since hit back at claims that they "dropped the ball" when it came to Gray and his father, per a Sky News report.
"[We did] all we could do with what we had at the time," law enforcement said.
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'I DID IT'
Gray, who appeared in court for the first time on Friday morning, is said to be cooperating with investigators after he surrendered to cops on Wednesday.
He "gave up and got on the ground," once authorities surrounded him, Barrow County Sheriff Judd Smith said at a press conference.
While being read his rights on school property as students and teachers were evacuated, he allegedly confessed to the crime, telling cops, "I did it," the Daily Mail reported.
Teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, were killed in the shooting.
The nine others who were injured were all hospitalized, the majority of whom have since been released.
Shots rang out at the school around 10:20 am, almost half an hour after Gray suddenly left his algebra class.
His classmate Lyela Sayarath, who was sitting next to him at the time, said there were no signs that anything was out of the ordinary, describing Gray as a "quiet and shy" boy.
However, she revealed to CNN that she "wasn't surprised" when he was identified as the suspected gunman.
"When you think of shooters and the way they act, it's usually the quiet kid and he was the one that fit that description," she said.
She told the news outlet how Gray had tried to re-enter their classroom but found the door locked.
Sayarath said a fellow student went to let him in before suddenly stopping and "backing away" after allegedly noticing he had a gun.
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"He turned to the classroom that would have been to my right, and he just starts to shoot, and you hear about 10 to 15 rounds back-to-back," she said.
Camille Nelms, who was inside the classroom, explained how everyone tried to gather in the corner as bullets flew into the room.
"I was crying, I didn't want to die that way," she told NBC affiliate WXIA.
"I don't want to meet the Lord that way."
Other students reported hearing screams as they barricaded themselves in and hid behind desks with teachers frantically trying to keep their students safe.
The heartbreaking text messages from a student to his mom, while he was caught up in the shooting, revealed the horrors endured as the teenagers watched people die.
New panic buttons concealed within the teachers' badges saw them able to alert the cops to the shooting.
"The protocols at this school, and this system activated today, prevented this from being a much larger tragedy," Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said.
'TROUBLED'
After the horror attack, Gray's family spoke out about his upbringing that they claim led to the shooting.
Family members told The New York Times that the teenager had a "troubled life."
"My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in," Gray's grandfather, Charles Polhamus, said.
"The adults in his life let him down," his aunt, Annie Brown, added.
She added that her nephew was "actively seeking help" for his mental health, but failed to get support from those close to him.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing and has been described as "fluid" as cops continue to look for a motive.
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Gray's father is being held at the Barrow County Detention Center and was booked into jail on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the teenager is at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center.
President Biden's statement on the shooting
President Joe Biden has released a statement about the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday morning.
"Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed," Biden said.
"What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart.
"Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.
"We are closely coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local level, and are grateful for the first responders who brought the suspect into custody and prevented further loss of life," he continued.
"Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me. It’s why I signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the most meaningful gun safety bill in decades – and have announced dozens of gun safety executive actions.
"I also established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. We’ve made significant progress, but this crisis requires even more.
"After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation.
"We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers.
"These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart."