Georgia high school shooting: Colt Gray, Colin Gray appear in court

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A Barrow County, Georgia High School was in hard lockdown Wednesday morning after reports of shots fired. The FBI, and state and local law enforcement entities are investigating the shooting at Apalachee High School.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday identified the gunman as Colt Gray.

More charges coming

Update 11:28 a.m. ET Sept. 6: District Attorney Brad Smith said Colt Gray will have more charges filed against him, WSB reported. Smith did not say what those charges would be.

“There will be additional charges on Colt Gray. When he was taken into custody on Wednesday, we did not have the identities or the conditions of the other victims. So we were not able to charge on those offenses,” Smith said, according to CNN. “So when evidence comes in, and they’ve had a chance to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually, we will get with them, and there will be additional charges that address the other victims.”

Who is the mother of Colt Gray?

Update 9:51 a.m. ET Sept. 6: While the focus has been on the alleged shooter’s father, Colin Gray, the teen’s mother Marcee Gray had what The Washington Post called “a year of legal turmoil.”

Marcee Gray was accused of possession of several drugs, a glass pipe and concealing the identity of the vehicle she was driving - a Nissan Rogue that had the license for a Nissan Kick, the Post and other media outlets reported.

She pleaded guilty In December to criminal trespass/family violence and criminal damage to property, the NBC News reported.

Marcee Gray was sentenced to five years in jail but only 46 days were in confinement the rest was on probation if she had no contact with Colin Gray, except through third parties and only for matters concerning either her children or divorce. She also was ordered to participate in family violence intervention and to stay off drugs and alcohol, the Post reported.

Annie Brown, Colt Gray’s aunt who lives in Florida, said her nephew had mental health problems that she said he had been “begging for months” for help. She said she had texted a family member about her concerns that he had access to a gun. She also said Colt Gray’s grandmother, her mother, went to a school counselor to ask for help.

His grandmother said he was to start seeing a therapist the week before the shooting, the Post reported.

Brown told CNN via text that her nephew was “just a baby” and that “It never should have happened.

Colin Gray appears in court

Update 9:19 a.m. ET Sept. 6: Chief Judge Currie Mingledorff asked Colin Gray to state his name after Colin Gray’s father walked into court.

The elder Gray was informed of his rights as his son had been earlier, as he sat with his attorney.

Mingledorff told Colin Gray the charges he faces — two counts of second-degree murder, which has the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count; four counts of involuntary manslaughter, which comes with a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count and eight counts of cruelty to children, which comes with a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count.

In all, he faces a maximum total of 180 years in prison.

Like his son, his preliminary hearing is currently set for Dec. 4.

He, like his son, did not ask for a bond to be set.

Colin Gray did not enter a plea.

Judge clarifies potential penalty

Update 9:05 a.m. ET Sept. 6: Chief Judge Currie Mingledorff clarified the potential penalties that Colt Gray, 14, faces. He cannot be sentenced to death sentence because he is under the age of 18. The teen is being charged as an adult but does not face the same penalty due to a Supreme Court ruling that takes the death penalty off the table for minors.

The alleged shooter still faces the possibility of life in prison with the possibility of parole and life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Gray did not enter a plea.

His preliminary hearing is currently set for Dec. 4, CNN reported.

Colt Gray appears in court

Update 8:35 a.m. ET Sept. 6: Colt Gray is appearing in court for the first time since Wednesday’s shooting. The family members of those killed sat in the first row of the courtroom, CNN reported.

Colt Gray was informed of his rights by Chief Judge Currie Mingledorff as the proceedings began including that he has the right to have an attorney, present, which he did, his right to remain silent, and informed of the charges against him.

He also was informed of the potential punishments that come with the charges including life in prison and a potential death sentence.

His attorney said there was no request for bond. Court was put into recess after the quick hearing to prepare for a second hearing, that of Colt Gray’s father, Colin Gray.

Colin Gray charged

Update 8:00 a.m. ET Sept. 6: Colin Gray, 54, father of Apalachee High School accused shooter Colt Gray, was charged on Thursday with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, WSB reported.

On Thursday, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said, “His (Colin Gray’s) charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon, The Associated Press reported.

Colin Gray told officials that he bought the AR-style gun used in this week’s shooting for his son as a Christmas present in December, CNN reported. The gun was purchased after the father and son had spoken to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department earlier that same year about alleged threats against a school made online.

Panic button system saved lives

Update 2:10 p.m. ET Sept. 5: Teacher Stephen Kreyenbuhl told CNN that a newly installed panic button system saved lives on Wednesday. The system was just started last week and gives teachers a Centegix ID badge which includes a panic button that can alert authorities to dangerous situations, Sheriff Jud Smith said.

Four presses of the button alerts school administration, and eight presses send law enforcement.

Meanwhile, more information is coming out about the alleged shooter, who police said had documents in his home that they believe he wrote and referenced past school shootings including the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, CNN reported.

Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder, according to the GBI and WSB. More charges are expected and his first appearance in court will be Friday morning.

Community mourns

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Student in shooter’s class shared what happened

Update 8:30 a.m. ET Sept 5: Student Lyela Sayarath said Gray left their Algebra class at about 9:45 a.m., but when he returned at the end of class, he knocked to get back into the room. When another student went to open the door, the classmate noticed the gun and didn’t let Gray in, that is when Lyela said Gray went to the room next door and started shooting, CNN reported.

Who is the shooter?

Update 8:20 a.m. ET Sept 5: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday identified the gunman as Colt Gray. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said a school resource officer engaged Gray after the shooting began. Gray then surrendered and was taken into custody, WSB reported.

He was a student at the high school but it is not known if he had a connection to the victims, CNN reported.

The alleged gunman was taken to Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center. He has been charged with murder and will be treated as an adult, the GBI said.

Gray was already on law enforcement’s radar before Wednesday’s deadly shooting, federal officials said. He had been investigated last year for making threats against the school but was not charged.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Atlanta field office said that the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center had several anonymous tips about threats of a school shooting that had been posted on an online gaming site. The sheriff interviewed Gray, who was 13 at the time, and his father, who told officials that the family owned hunting rifles but that his son did not have access to them.

Suspect is 14-year-old boy, sources say

Update 2:49 p.m. ET Sept. 4: CNN reported that the suspected shooter was a 14-year-old boy according to unnamed sources, but it is not known if the teen was a student at Apalachee High School.

One student told his mother he heard eight or nine shots ring out before he was able to close his classroom door. He and another student moved classroom furniture to barricade the door. The teen, Senior Ethan Haney, 17, texted his mother that he was scared and “I love you” before making the room more secure. Ethan was not hurt in the shooting and he and his mother were reunited at the school football field, CNN reported.

GBI: 4 killed, 9 injured

Update 2:29 p.m. ET Sept. 4: The Barrow County Coroner said that none of the victims have been identified, WSB reported. Sources confirmed to our sister station that at least four are dead. A student told WSB’s Courtney Francisco that one classmate was killed and several were hurt, adding that the shooting happened in the E Hall.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said nine people were taken to hospitals in the area with injuries.

President Joe Biden released a statement Wednesday afternoon, which read in part: “Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed. What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”

Vice President Kamala Harris has also been briefed on the shooting before she left Joint Base Andrews for a campaign event in New Hampshire.

“She will receive regular updates from her staff as additional information becomes available. The Biden-Harris administration will continue coordinating with federal, state, and local officials,” officials told CNN.

Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital told CNN it had two victims. One is an adult with a gunshot wound to the stomach and was in surgery. The other is a minor with injuries that were not disclosed.

Attorney General addresses shooting

Update 2:02 p.m. ET Sept. 4: Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke about the shooting in an event Thursday. He said, “I want to address the tragic shooting that occurred this morning at a high school in Winder, Georgia. We are still gathering information, but the FBI and ATF are on the scene working with state, local and federal partners,” CNN reported.

He added he is “devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy” and pledged the support of the Justice Department.

At least 4 dead

Update 1:28 p.m. ET Sept. 4: CNN reported that preliminary information said that at least four people were killed and 30 were hurt, keeping in mind that the injuries may not be from gunshots.

The suspect is “student-aged” but sources have not said if the person attended the high school.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that the shooter was “neutralized,” WSB reported.

Sheriff briefing: “What you see behind us is an evil thing today.”

Update 1:15 p.m. ET Sept. 4: Sheriff Jud Smith while briefing the media, said that parents and children are in the process of reunification.

He called the shooting, “What you see behind us is an evil thing today.”

Smith said that a suspect is in custody.

He called the investigation “very active” and developing. He only said there were multiple injuries and that he would not answer any additional questions at the time.

“This is going to take multiple days to get answers as to what happened and why this happened,” Smith said. “We ask that you please be patient with us.”

Another briefing is scheduled for later this afternoon.

At least 2 dead

Update 1:02 p.m. ET Sept. 4: CNN reported that at least two people were killed in Wednesday’s shooting and one person is in custody. A press briefing is expected shortly.

Biden briefed

Update 12:40 p.m. ET Sept.: 4: President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation in Georgia. White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Emilie Simmons wrote on X, that the “administration will continue coordinating with the federal, state and local officials as we receive more information.”

Grady Memorial Hospital has received one victim with a gunshot wound.

Casualties reported

Update 12:09 p.m. ET Sept. 4: One person is in custody, WSB reported. The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said there were casualties but didn’t say how many victims there were or their conditions.

“Casualties have been reported, however details on the number or their conditions is not available at this time,” the statement to CNN said.

A casualty can be someone who is either injured or killed according to the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School.

The shooting happened around 10:23 a.m.

Original report: WSBTV reported that dozens of law enforcement and emergency vehicles were at Apalachee High School. People were told to stay away from the area until it was secure.

In addition to local law enforcement, the FBI is investigating.

“FBI Atlanta is aware of the current situation at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. Our agents are on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”

WSB Radio reported there had been reports of gunfire.

One person was airlifted from the scene while another was taken from the school via ambulance.

CNN reported that Piedmont Regional Hospital in Athens, Georgia, has been receiving patients with gunshot wounds from the incident.

Students were evacuated to the school’s stadium and have been cleared to be released to their families.

There is no information on the status of the alleged shooter.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement after the incident which read, “I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state. We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”

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