The 14-year-old suspected gunman charged with killing four individuals and injuring nine others in a Georgia school shooting has been hit with more charges.
Colt Gray now faces a total of 55 criminal counts related to the incident at Apalachee High School in Barrow County on September 4. Initially charged with four counts of murder, he has now been indicted on 22 counts of aggravated assault and 18 counts of first-degree cruelty to children.
His father, Colin Gray, 54, has also been charged with 29 additional counts, including 19 counts of second-degree cruelty to children.
Colin was arrested the day after Colt allegedly used an AR-15-style rifle, a Christmas gift from his father, to shoot and kill two students and two teachers.
Following the shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) released more details about events leading up to it. Colt had previously been interviewed by police for making threats about a school shooting on Discord and reportedly maintained a shrine to school shooters in his room. This shrine, found during a raid, contained around 15 photographs and clippings of past shooters.
Investigators discovered a notebook belonging to Colt that contained drawings resembling the shooting events, along with a checklist outlining his planned actions, such as wearing gloves and avoiding detection. He also expressed feelings of depression and a desire to die.
Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, expressed concern over his increasing obsession with guns and mentioned troubling jokes he made about infamous school shootings. She recounted conversations where Colt asked for a “shooter’s mask” to complete his “school shooter outfit.”
During a status hearing, a GBI special agent revealed that Colt had left letters in his gaming room suggesting he felt his actions were not his parents’ fault. Both Colt and Colin are scheduled to return to court on November 21 to face the new charges.
Colt allegedly smuggled the rifle into school in his backpack and opened fire after his second-period algebra class, resulting in the deaths of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, along with teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. Colt surrendered to school resource officers at the scene.
Family members indicated Colt had a troubled upbringing marked by abuse and neglect, with his grandfather attributing his actions to his difficult environment. Despite his struggles, Colt was reportedly seeking mental health support but did not receive adequate help.
In the weeks before the shooting, Colin communicated with school staff about Colt’s need for counseling but failed to ensure he attended the appointments.
On the day of the shooting, both parents received alarming messages from Colt, but Colin did not respond to them.
Colt is being charged as an adult and faces a potential life sentence, while his father could face up to 180 years in prison if convicted.
