In a shocking development, the father of the 14-year-old suspect responsible for a brutal school shooting at Apalachee High School has been arrested on multiple charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Authorities announced Thursday that Colin Gray, 54, the father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, faces numerous charges after the horrific tragedy at Apalachee High School, which claimed four lives and left nine others wounded, according to AP.
The charges against the father, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), include four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The state’s laws are clear: second-degree murder is a serious offense, particularly when children are involved, even if there was no direct intent to kill.
With sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years in prison, Colin Gray could face a lengthy stay behind bars for what many are calling his failure as a parent.
Meanwhile, Colt Gray, just 14 years old, has been charged as an adult in connection with the mass shooting, facing multiple murder charges.
According to investigators, a search of Gray’s home uncovered disturbing evidence linking the young boy to the 2018 Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed.
Authorities also discovered that Gray had been involved in a May 2023 incident in which police questioned both him and his father about threatening comments made on a Discord channel.
The channel, which had a Russian username that translated to “Lanza” — a nod to Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza — reportedly included threats of a future school shooting.
Colt Gray was then interviewed by a sheriff’s investigator in Jackson County after the FBI received a tip that Gray, then 13, had allegedly threatened to carry out a shooting at a middle school, according to the Daily Mail.
Gray, however, denied responsibility, claiming his account had been hacked.
Following the investigation, the Jackson County officer urged Colt’s father to secure his firearms and keep them locked away. Additionally, authorities recommended that the teen be kept out of school until the matter could be fully resolved, as a precautionary measure.
The FBI has confirmed that Colt Gray was known to the agency as early as May 2023 after receiving “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time.”
His aunt, Annie Brown, told the Washington Post on Thursday that the boy had been “begging for help from everybody around him.” She revealed that he had been struggling with mental health issues.
