The father of the 14-year-old suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting on Wednesday has been arrested, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed on Thursday night.
Colin Gray, the 54-year-old father of Colt Gray, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The charges stem from “knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said at a press conference on Thursday night.
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Gray previously told investigators he purchased the guns his son used for the shooting as a holiday present in December 2023, CNN reported, citing law enforcement sources.
Hosey also confirmed that the Bureau investigated reports of “other students making threats today at various schools around our state.” Investigators “acted swiftly” and made arrests, Hosey said, but offered no other details about the threats.
The deadly shooting in Winder, Georgia left two students and two teachers dead, as well as nine more people injured.
The nine injured students and teachers will “make a full recovery,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said at the press conference. “Several of them are still in the hospital, some have been released,” he added, without being able to confirm actual numbers.
Law enforcement reportedly interviewed the suspected shooter last year. The FBI announced on Wednesday that they had previously investigated online threats made by a suspect, which contained photos of firearms.
Investigators with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office tracked down the suspect and interviewed him and his father, who said his son “did not have supervised access” to his hunting guns, according to the FBI. The local sheriff’s office then alerted school administrators to monitor the situation.
Georgia Bureaus of Investigation Director Chris Hosey speaks to the media outside of Apalachee High School after the shooting on Thursday.
Christian Monterrosa/Getty ImagesAudio recording of the Sheriff’s Office interviewing both father and son was published by CNN on Thursday, where Colin confirmed to the investigators he had weapons in his house that were accessible to his son.
“I mean, there’s nothing loaded, but they are down,” Colin said. “We actually do a lot of shooting, we do a lot of hunting. He shot his first deer this year.”
Colin told investigators his son claimed his account was hacked, according to an interview transcript obtained by The New York Times. The father allegedly told investigators he would be “mad as hell” if his son made the threats, and that “all the guns will go away.”
A teacher leaves a flowers at a memorial in front of Apalachee High School.
Jessica McGowan/Getty ImagesJackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum told the Associated Press her office “did not drop the ball on this.” She claimed investigators did not have evidence to press charges after the interview.
Colin’s arrest marks the second time a parent of a school shooter has been charged related to the crime. James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the teenager sentenced for killing four people and injuring seven at Oxford High School in Michigan, were charged with involuntary manslaughter for their failure to prevent their son’s attack.
Prosecutors alleged that James Crumbley purchased the handgun his son used in the shootout, which his mother gave to him as an early Christmas present. Both parents were arrested by U.S. Marshals after fleeing the Detroit suburb, and found days later after a tense manhunt. The couple were both sentenced to at least ten years in prison.
