Authorities in Georgia have arrested Colin Gray, the father of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people in a school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder. Colin Gray, 54, faces multiple charges, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
The suspect, Colt Gray, Colin’s son, has been charged with four counts of murder and will be prosecuted as an adult. The tragic incident, which occurred on Wednesday, left two students and two teachers dead, with nine others injured. Colt’s first court appearance is scheduled for Friday morning.
During a Thursday evening press conference, GBI Director Chris Hosey confirmed that Colin Gray’s charges are directly tied to his son’s access to a weapon. Investigators are looking into whether Colin Gray bought the AR-style weapon used in the attack as a gift for his son in December 2023. According to law enforcement sources, this gift may have facilitated the tragic events.
Authorities revealed that the FBI had previously alerted local police in May 2023 about online threats related to a potential school shooting. The threats, made on Discord, an online platform, were linked to an account using a name translated from Russian, identical to the last name of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter in Connecticut in 2012. At the time, a sheriff’s deputy interviewed Colt and his father, who assured authorities that Colt did not have unsupervised access to firearms.
Colin Gray admitted during the interview that Colt was being bullied at school and was struggling with his parents’ separation. The family’s turbulent home life has been cited as a potential factor contributing to the teen’s actions. Police records reveal that the boy’s mother and father were in the process of divorcing, and he was staying with his father during the split.
Charlie Polhamus, Colt’s maternal grandfather, partially blamed the family’s difficult environment. “I understand my grandson did a horrendous thing – there’s no question about it, and he’s going to pay the price for it,” Charlie Polhamus told the newspaper. “My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in,” he added.
The teen often hunted with his father, who told police he had photographed his son with a deer’s blood on his cheeks.
On the day of the shooting, Colt reportedly left an algebra class only to return with a firearm, attempting to re-enter the classroom. Witnesses say students saw the weapon and backed away before hearing 10 to 15 gunshots. School police quickly intervened, and Colt surrendered without further incident.
The victims of the attack were students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Despite the horrific event, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith reported that all nine of the injured are expected to make full recoveries, with several already discharged from the hospital.
This case marks another instance where a suspect’s parents are being held criminally responsible in the aftermath of a school shooting. It follows the high-profile case of James and Jennifer Crumbley in Michigan, who were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for their role in their son’s 2021 school shooting that claimed four lives.
The investigation into the Gray family continues, with potential negligence surrounding Colt’s access to firearms under scrutiny.
Melissa Enoch
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