Fourteen-year-old suspect Colt Gray and his father Colin Gray are in custody after the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on Sept. 4. His actions left four dead and nine others hospitalized.
According to Colt’s mother, there were many missed signs about his mental health, and she even called the school that morning to have them check up on him after he texted her “I’m sorry” and warned them of an “extreme emergency” as stated in an article from AP News on Sept. 8. He started school two weeks late and missed nine days of school prior to the shooting proving Colt’s home life may be troubled.
Investigations took place last year after an online threat revealed that Colt struggled with the separation of his parents and had been taunted by his peers in middle school. Colin and Colt often went hunting together, and Colin urged his son to get outdoors. The weapon Colt used in the shooting was allegedly given to him by Colin when he knew Colt was a danger to himself and others.
He concealed a knife and the AR-15-style rifle in his backpack and wrapped it as if it were a school project. Gray’s teacher let him leave the classroom and bring his belongings with him, thinking he was going to talk to a school counselor. Instead, Gray hid in the school bathroom for several minutes, according to a Sept. 13 CNN article. Colt is charged as an adult with four counts of felony murder and more charges to come for those who were injured. His father is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children. If convicted of all of these counts, he could face up to 180 years in prison, according to a Sept. 13 CNN article.
The Georgia community mourns over the death of two students and two teachers. Neighbors helped by setting up snack stands and providing water, sports drinks and granola bars for the traumatized kids and their families.
After this tragic event, Republican Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns calls for new mental health and gun safety measures. He believes that the shooter’s history was not communicated enough to the school prior to his transfer.
Photo credit: “Winder high school shooting” by Anthony Lim is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
