Authorities in Georgia on Thursday arrested the father of the teenager who killed four people in a shooting at his school in the town of Winder on Wednesday and charged him with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Colin Gray, 54, has been arrested in connection with the shooting by his son Colt Gray, 14, at Apalachee High School, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (OIG) Director Chris Hosey said at a news conference.
In addition to the manslaughter charges for each death, the suspect’s father is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of child cruelty, all stemming from the fact that he “knowingly allowed his son Colt to take a firearm,” police said.
Mourning and indignation at Winder
Amid mourning for the families of the four people killed in the Winder, Georgia, school shooting, authorities are investigating the 14-year-old’s motives, while shock and outrage grow over the attacker’s age and the fact that he was already on authorities’ radar because of a possible online threat.
Winder, a town of fewer than 20,000 people about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, is quietly preparing for funerals for the two students, including a Mexican, and two teachers killed at Apalachee High School, while eight other students and another teacher recover from their injuries in various hospitals.
Meanwhile, suspect Colt Gray, 14, will have a hearing this Friday in which he will be formally read four murder charges and others that have not been disclosed.
During searches of Gray’s home, authorities found documents they believe he wrote that referenced previous school shootings, such as the one in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead. According to the New York Times, documents were also found showing that he was a victim of student harassment.
The perpetrator of the Georgia school shooting, the state’s worst, will also undergo mental and psychological evaluations.
The young man, who was using a weapon similar to the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, was investigated a year ago by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Georgia for allegedly threatening to shoot people online.
According to an official report from 2023, his father, Colin Gray, was questioned and assured that the young man had not made any threats and that the weapons in his possession were properly stored.
This fact has once again opened the debate in the United States on the possible accusations of negligence that parents or guardians of young people suspected of crimes could face by allowing or not ensuring access to weapons. Similarly, the need to take into account threats that authorities generally dismiss due to lack of evidence is being raised with greater seriousness.
The Violence Policy Center has called for “demanding” answers about the details of the weapon used and the method of acquisition.
Mass school shootings, like those in Newtown, Parkland and Uvalde, “have gone from almost unthinkable to almost inevitable,” said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center.
On trial as an adult
On Wednesday morning, when the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office began receiving calls for help, officers went to the school and almost immediately encountered Gray, who dropped his weapon and surrendered.
Officials said a safety card adopted just a week ago, known as Centegix, with a panic button for teachers that alerts authorities in the event of a shooting, has helped save lives.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, where Winder is from, said “every” teacher “is armed” with the cards that hang around their neck like a diploma.
The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reported Wednesday that Gray was being held at a juvenile detention center in Gainesville, although he will be tried as an adult, according to Georgia FBI Director Chris Hosey.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, more details began to emerge about the four victims, including a 14-year-old Mexican boy, Christian Angulo, according to that country’s consulate in Atlanta.
“Christian Angulo was a freshman… who was denied the opportunity to grow up,” Students Demand Action, a gun control group, told X Network.
“His friends say he had a ‘laid back’ demeanor and loved to make others laugh. “Christian’s sister says his family is truly heartbroken, he was loved by so many people,” she adds.
The other victims were identified as a 14-year-old African-American boy, Mason Schermerhorn, and math teachers Christina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39.
