A jury in Georgia has found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder and 26 other charges related to the Apalachee High School shooting carried out by his son. The verdict came after brief deliberations in a trial that highlighted parental responsibility in mass shootings. Gray faces significant prison time as sentencing awaits.
On Tuesday, following two weeks of testimony and just a few hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Colin Gray of second-degree murder and all remaining charges in connection with the September 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. Gray, father of the accused shooter, had faced 29 counts originally, including involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children, but two were dropped before the verdict on 27 counts. He had pleaded not guilty to all.
The incident involved Gray's then-14-year-old son, Colt Gray, who authorities say brought a semiautomatic assault-style rifle to school, concealed in a book bag on the bus, and later opened fire in a classroom and hallways. The attack killed two students, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie. One other teacher and eight students were wounded. Investigators noted that Colt had planned the event, leaving behind a notebook with preparation instructions and a classroom diagram.
Prosecutors argued that Colin Gray provided the rifle and ammunition to his son despite clear warning signs of mental deterioration, including prior violence and an obsession with the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter, Nikolas Cruz, evidenced by what they called a "shrine." Barrow County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Brooks told the jury: "After seeing sign after sign of his son's deteriorating mental state, his violence, his school shooter obsession, the defendant had sufficient warning that his son was a bomb just waiting to go off. And instead of disarming him, he gave him the detonator."
Gray admitted giving his son the weapon to bond over hunting and target practice but denied foreseeing the violence. His defense attorney, Jimmy Barry, urged the jury to hold the teenager accountable, stating: "Everybody wants to see somebody go to jail other than this young man right here. This is the person who went into the high school and shot and killed four people he didn't even know and injured scores of others. This is the person who needs to be punished."
This case marks the third instance of a parent being charged for a child's alleged mass shooting and the first such adult prosecution tied to a Georgia school shooting. Colt Gray faces 55 counts, including murder and aggravated assault, and has pleaded not guilty; his trial date remains unscheduled. Sentencing for Colin Gray is pending, with potential penalties up to 30 years for the murder charge and 180 years total.
The Barrow County School District expressed gratitude to the district attorney's office, law enforcement, and first responders in a statement, noting the community's profound loss but also acts of kindness and unity since the tragedy.
