On September 4, 2024, a tragic mass shooting hit Apalachee High School, located in Barrow County, Georgia. Leaving 4 people deceased and 9 injured, 14-year-old Apalachee student Colt Gray has been deemed the suspected gunman.
Although the criminal investigation is still active and ongoing, Colt has been charged with four counts of felony murder. Because the conditions of the nine injured have not yet been considered, Colt has not been charged with the additional offenses that account for these victims.
Colt made his first court appearance the following Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Barrow County Courthouse. Due to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling, no one in the United States under the age of 18 can face the death penalty. Because of this, Judge Currie Mingledorff decreed that Colt’s maximum penalty would be life in prison, without the possibility of parole. However, Colt will be tried as an adult.
After Colt was escorted out of the courtroom, his father and legal guardian Colin Gray entered for his sentencing. He was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. The judge then declared that Colin’s maximum possible penalty would be 180 years in prison.
The gun used an AR-style rifle, which has been confirmed to be the same gun Colin gifted his son in December of 2023. An arrest warrant for Colin details that he gave Colt the firearm “with knowledge he was a threat to himself and others.”
It was also released that Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, received a text from him the morning of the shooting, reading, “I’m sorry, Mom.” Thirty minutes before shots were fired, Marcee proceeded to call Apalachee High School to discuss an “extreme emergency” regarding her son. The call has been confirmed but Marcee has declined to elaborate on her reasoning.
Neither Colin nor Colt asked for a bond upon their first court appearance. Currently, Colt is being detained at Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center until he turns 18. His father is being detained at the Barrow County Jail.
A grand jury has been empaneled for this case, and it has been announced that formal charges will be considered against both Colt and Colin on October 17, 2024. A court date for Dec. 4, 2024, has also been set for both father and son.
