The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia pleaded not guilty on Thursday to the charges against him. Colin Gray was not present in court, but his lawyers informed the judge that he pleads not guilty and waived formal arraignment. Both Colin Gray and his son, Colt Gray, were indicted in the shooting that took the lives of two students and two teachers and left others injured.
Colt Gray, who is charged as an adult, entered a not guilty plea last month and waived arraignment. He is currently held in a juvenile detention center, while his father, Colin Gray, is in the Barrow County jail. Neither has requested bail release.
The shooting at Apalachee High School resulted in the tragic deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, all aged 14. Additionally, eight students were wounded, with seven of them sustaining gunshot injuries. Colin Gray’s indictment marks the first time an adult has been charged in a school shooting in Georgia, reflecting a trend of prosecutors holding parents accountable for their children’s actions in such incidents.
Investigators revealed that Colt Gray meticulously planned the shooting, bringing a semiautomatic assault-style rifle to the school concealed in his backpack. Prior to the attack, he had drawn diagrams and listed potential body counts in a notebook. Details from the alleged shooter’s notebooks disclosed that he had created a shrine to school shooters in his room and had conversations about previous school shootings with his family members.
Witnesses testified that Colin Gray was aware of his son’s mental health struggles but still purchased equipment such as a laser sight, tactical vest, and ammunition for him leading up to the shooting. The teenager’s fascination with school shooters, including the Parkland shooter who killed 17 people in 2018, was known to his father. The case echoes a similar situation in Michigan where parents were convicted for their negligence in securing firearms at home and addressing their child’s mental health issues before a mass school shooting.
The tragic events at Apalachee High School have sparked discussions about gun control, mental health awareness, and parental responsibility in preventing school shootings. As the legal proceedings continue, the community mourns the lives lost and seeks ways to prevent such senseless acts of violence in the future.
