Georgia high school shooting suspect’s father charged with murder and child abuse
Photo: The father of the shooter in the Apalachee High School charged with serious offenses (Getty Images)
Colin Gray, the father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, the alleged shooter in the Apalachee High School attack, has been charged with multiple serious offenses, according to USA Today.
On Thursday, Colin Gray, aged 54, was formally charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of child cruelty, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
These charges follow a shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday, during which Colt Gray allegedly used an AR-platform-style weapon to attack, leading to the deaths of two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. Additionally, eight students and one teacher were injured in the incident.
Colin Gray is currently being held without bond at the Barrow County Detention Center. Authorities assert that the charges against Gray relate to his decision to permit his son access to the firearm used in the shooting: "His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon," GBI Director Chris Hosey said late on Thursday night’s news conference.
Colt Gray is facing four counts of felony murder, with more charges expected, according to the GBI's earlier statement on Thursday.
US mass shootings
The US has seen several mass shootings recently. In January, a student at Perry High School in Iowa shot a sixth grader, injured four others, and then took his own life.
Last year, a shooting at the University of Nevada resulted in three deaths and one injury, with the suspect being killed in a police shootout.
Earlier, a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, claimed at least 22 lives and injured 50 to 60 people.
The Georgia incident has reignited the national debate on parental responsibility and gun safety.
