...
By Erin Keller
Reporter (Live News)
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Colt Gray, the alleged Apalachee High School shooter, muttered only two words during his arraignment Friday in a Georgia court.
Gray, 14, is the alleged shooter who opened fire at the Georgia school on Wednesday, killing students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. Eight other students and one teacher were injured and are expected to make a full recovery.
At 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Gray entered the Barrow County courtroom wearing dark green jail garb. His shoulder-length, orange-blonde hair guarded his face from cameras in the courtroom. He has been charged with four counts of felony murder and is expected to be tried as an adult.
Read More on News
...
Gray responded "Yes, sir" to the judge's preliminary questions during the 11-minute trial, including that he can read and write in English. Emotional adults filled the courtroom. One woman held onto a plush Mickey Mouse while another woman clutched a tissue. One man was shown hanging his head in sadness as he prepared for the hearing to start.
His father, Colin Gray, 54, also appeared in court on Friday. Colin Gray reportedly told investigators he bought an AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas present for Colt in December 2023. On Thursday, Colin Gray was also arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of manslaughter, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
...
Wearing a gray and white striped jail uniform, Colin Gray stated in court that he completed 11th grade and got his GED. If he is convicted of all of his crimes, he could get 180 years in prison.
Colin Gray rocked back and forth in his chair as the judge set his first court appearance hearing for December 4 at 8:30 a.m.
In May 2023, the FBI spoke to Colin and Colt Gray after tips that Colt allegedly made Discord threats to shoot up a middle school. In a police report obtained by Newsweek, Colin Gray stated his son had problems at West Jackson Middle School in Hoschton, Georgia, and was going to Jefferson Middle School about 17 minutes away, where things got better.
...
Colin Gray said he had hunting rifles in the home but he was not allowed to use them unsupervised. Officials also spoke to Colt, who appeared "calm and reserved." The then 13-year-old claimed he used to have a Discord account but deleted it before moving in with his dad because it kept getting hacked. Discord is a platform for hosting real-time text, video, and voice chat, often used by gamers and streamers.
Colt Gray claimed someone accused him of threatening to shoot up a school, but he would never say such a thing, not even as a joke.
...
FBI tips included an email address belonging to Colt Gray associated with the Discord account in question. IP addresses from around the time that the family was evicted from their house show that the Discord account was used in either Fort Valley or Statesboro, Georgia, and possibly Buffalo, NY.
The user profile name of the Discord account linked to Colt Gray was written in Russian, officials report. Translated to English, the name spells "Lanza," allegedly referring to Sandy Hook Elementary school shooter Adam Lanza. Colin Gray told officials that his son does not know or speak Russian. Investigators determined that the allegation that Colin Gray or Colt Gray was behind the Discord account could not be substantiated.
...
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines