Apalachee High School shooting suspect makes first court appearance (2024)

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Harris quick to call for gun control after Georgia shooting, stays mum on armed migrant gangs

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WhileVice President Kamala Harriswas quick to call for action against gun violence after Wednesday's school shooting in Georgia that killed four and injured several others, she has remained silent on alarming incidents involving armed Venezuelan migrant gangs overtaking apartment buildings, critics charge.

"It's telling that gun violence is only mentioned when it fits a particular narrative," Beverly Hills school board candidate and gun shop owner Russell Stuart told Fox News Digital. "VP Harris is quick to politicize the actions of a mentally ill 14-year-old boy, but remains silent on the very real and dangerous violence being carried out byillegal immigrantgangs in American cities."

"Law abiding citizens deserve safety and security, and their protection should not be sidelined by political gamemanship and deflection," he added.

Harris lamented the incident on X Thursday and said that her and her husband were "mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by gun violence at Apalachee High Schoolin Georgia."

"Our hearts are with the students, teachers, and families impacted by this shooting, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. This is a senseless tragedy — and it does not have to be this way. We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all," Harris wrote.

The school shooting in battleground Georgia brought theSecond Amendmentback into the focal point of the neck-and-neck election race and added to the list of different policy stances between Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Read the full article about Kamala Harris' call for gun control.

Alleged Georgia shooter's father said son was bullied at school, called 'gay' by classmates

Colt Gray, charged as an adult with four counts of murder, leaves the the Barrow County courthouse after his first appearance for the Wednesday shooting at Apalachee High School, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, Pool)

AllegedApalachee High Schoolshooter Colt Gray's father said his son had been called "gay" by classmates in 2023 interview transcripts recently released by police.

Colin Gray, 54, has been charged in connection with Wednesday's school shooting, which claimed the lives of two students and twoadults in Georgia. Colt Gray, 14, is being tried as an adult in the shooting, which killed four and injured nine others.

According to father Colin Gray in recently released police interrogation transcripts, "[Colt's] gone through a lot."

"[Colt] just wants us to have a simple life. All that like, he should be excited about getting into 8th grade. It just was very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on by, you know, it went from one thing to another to, you know, he was talking to the couple friends he has," said Gray.

The call, taken by Investigator Dan Miller in 2023, cast 14-year-old Colt as someone who had been picked on and "ridiculed" by classmates at Apalachee High School.

Read the full article about the alleged shooter being bullied at school by Jasmine Baehr.

Does Georgia have a red flag law?

A worker sets up a display of handguns on the floor of the exhibition hall ahead of the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

Georgia is not among the 21 states that have so-called red-flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily remove firearms from someone's home if they can potentially cause harm with the weapon.

The teenager charged in the shooting, Colt Gray, 14, at Apalachee High School was questioned by local authorities in 2023 following an FBI tip about alleged threats the boy, then 13, made about possibly shooting up a school on Discord.

Gray denied making the threats and the investigation was closed and no arrest was ever made. The investigator cited “inconsistent information.”

Many Republican-led legislatures around the country have resisted red-flag laws, citing gun rights.

An analysis conducted by The Associated Press found many states with such laws rarely use them. The trend was blamed on lack of awareness of the laws and resistance by some authorities to enforce them.

Why is the suspected shooter’s dad charged?

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The father of the suspected teenage shooter accused of killing four people and wounding several others atApalachee High Schoolhas also been charged in connection with the deadly rampage.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Colin Gray, 54, allowed his son, Colt Gray, 14, to possess a weapon. The elder Gray has since been charged with multiple offenses, including murder.

He reportedly gave the AR-platform-style weapon used in the shooting to his son as a Christmas present.

In May 2023, Colin Gray told Jackson County authorities that there were guns in his house but that they were not loaded, when questioned about online threats against a middle school linked to his son.

He said that he had sought to teach gun safety, and that his son had recently shot his first deer.

The charges against Gray mirror the prosecution of the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a Michigan teenager who also shot and killed four people at Oxford High School in 2021.

James and Jennifer Crumbley were both sentenced to at least ten years in prison after prosecutors argued they should be held accountable for their son's actions and a series of missteps they said could have prevented the shooting.

Discord suspended account tied to Georgia shooting suspect, company says

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A Discord account believed to be associated with suspected shooter Colt Gray was removed from the platform last year after it was flagged, the company said Friday.

"An account believed to be associated with the suspect was created on April 2, 2023, and removed by Discord on May 21, 2023, for violating ourpolicyagainst extremism," a Discord statement to Fox News Digital states.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI.

Gray and his father, Colin Gray, 54, were questioned by authorities in May 2023 over alleged threats made online by the teenager.

“At that time, Discord’s Safety team immediately responded to law enforcement, provided all requested information to aid in their investigation, and acted swiftly to remove the user from the platform," Discord said. "Based on our ongoing investigation since then, we have no indication that the suspect used Discord to discuss or plan this horrific attack.”

The FBI was alerted about the online activity and shared the information with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Fox News Digital has also reached out to the sheriff's office.

Apalachee victim’s sister says ‘he wanted to be like me when he got older’

Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn. (Barrow County School District)

Alanna Wallace, identified by Fox5 Atlanta as the sister of Apalachee High School shooting victim Mason Schermerhorn, said he once told her that "he wanted to be like me when he got older."

"He had just started learning to play trumpet, and he did it because I play trumpet," Wallace told the station.

Wallace also said that Schermerhorn "loved everyone" and that "it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be different" to imagine life without him.

Math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie also were killed at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, along with Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, students who were both 14, officials say.

Facts appear 'very damning' for both Georgia shooting suspect and father, former DA says

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Former assistant district attorney Phil Holloway told “America’s Newsroom” on Friday that the “the facts as alleged” against Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray and his father Colin appear to be “very damning.”

“Both of these individuals are potentially facing the rest of their natural lives in prison,” he said. “I think law enforcement is still having to complete their investigation, but the criminal negligence aspect is very fact-dependent and all we know right now is that he allegedly made this firearm available to his son, so we need to find out some additional details.”

Colt Gray is accused of opening fire on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, killing four and injuring nine others.

“Needless to say, the facts as alleged against both of these guys appear to be very, very damning for both of them,” Holloway added.

Colt Gray expected to face additional charges, district attorney says

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Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray is expected to face additional charges following Wednesday's attack, Jackson County District Attorney Brad Smith said Friday.

Smith said the nine people who were injured in the shooting were never accounted for in the charges that Gray currently faces.

So far, Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder -- one for each person killed.

Smith also said that Colin Gray, the 14-year-old suspect's father, "may" face additional charges as well pending the outcome of an investigation.

"You don't have to be physically injured in this to be a victim. Everyone in this community is a victim, every child in that school was a victim," he added.

Apalachee High School flagpole becomes makeshift memorial

People gather at the flagpole outside the entrance to Apalachee High School on Thursday, Sept. 5. (AP/Sharon Johnson)

The flagpole outside Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia has now become a makeshift memorial in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shooting.

"It still feels like a dream, but it's not. It hasn't finished processing," student Hogan Gooch told Fox5 Atlanta after being inside the school as the attack unfolded.

"I needed to come out and bring flowers for the people, and… it just helps to be here," he added.

The flags have been lowered to half-mast following Wednesday’s shooting, during which four people were killed and nine others were wounded.

Apalachee student’s father reveals texts his daughter sent him: ‘There’s gunshots, I’m scared’

Rob McGinnis, the father of a sophom*ore student at Apalachee High School, told Fox5 Atlanta that his phone was flooded with messages from his daughter Brennen as the shooting unfolded there Wednesday.

“Daddy, dad, there’s gunshots, I’m scared,” read some of the texts the student sent her father.

“I think the police got him, I can’t talk, I hear the police I think they got him,” the messages continued.

McGinnis told the station that he then raced to the school and ran on foot to find his daughter.

"The police officers were trying to direct parents one way, and I wasn’t having it,” he said. “She told me through a text that she was on the football field, so that’s where I went.”

Colin Gray makes first court appearance

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Colin Gray, the 54-year-old father of the Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, made his first court appearance Friday.

The father has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. Authorities said the charges are connected to the suspect's possession of a weapon.

"For the felony murder counts... the maximum penalty for each count is up to 30 years imprisonment," Judge Currie Mingledorff II said. "For felony involuntary manslaughter... the maximum penalty for for each of those offenses is ten years imprisonment."

"For the eight felony cruelty to children counts, the maximum penalty under the law for each of those eight counts is ten years imprisonment for a maximum total, possible penalty for the charges that you currently are facing, of 180 years imprisonment," the judge concluded.

Gray could be seen rocking back and forth in his chair after the judge spoke. The preliminary hearing in his case, like his son's, will be on Dec. 4.

Judge walks back statement that death is possible maximum penalty

Colt Gray, charged as an adult with four counts of murder, leaves the Barrow County courthouse after his first appearance for the Wednesday shooting at Apalachee High School. (Brynn Anderson/Pool/AP)

Judge Currie Mingledorff IIcalled Colt Gray back into the courtroom Friday to tell him that "I correctly told you, the maximum penalty for the crimes for which you are charged."

"That's correct, except for the fact that, you are under 18 years old. So I wanted to inform you and make it clear to you that the penalty for the crimes for which you are charged does not include death," he added. "It includes, life without the possibility of parole or life with the possibility of parole."

Gray's preliminary hearing in the case has been set for Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m. ET

Apalachee High School shooting suspect appears in court

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Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray appeared in Barrow County Superior Court on Friday for the first time following this week’s mass shooting.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Gray has been “charged with 4 counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting.”

"I want to make you aware that the maximum penalty for felony murder. So for each count, the maximum penalty is that you could be punishable by death, by imprisonment for life without parole or by imprisonment for life, with the possibility of parole," Judge Currie Mingledorff II told Gray.

Mingledorff said at this point, there is no bond being requested for Gray.

An attorney representing Gray also told the judge "there was a development yesterday afternoon that makes it necessary for our office to have alternate counsel appointed, and arrangements have already been made in that regard.

"I've already explained that to Mr. Gray. Alternate counsel will be appointed by the end of the day today," she added.

Gray did not enter a plea during the appearance.

Georgia high school suspect to make in-person court appearance

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Colt Gray, the teen suspect accused of committing the mass shooting at Apalachee High School that killed four individuals and wounded nine others, will appear in person for his first court appearance, rather than appearing virtually.

Gray is set to appear before the court at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

Colin Gray, the 54-year-old father of the suspect who has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, is also expected to appear in court Friday. Authorities said the charges are connected to the suspect's possession of a weapon.

Colin Gray is expected to appear at 9:30 a.m. ET Friday.

Charges against father of alleged school shooter a new approach to curbing similar incidents: lawyer

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The charges against the father of the suspected shooter accused of killing four people at a Georgia high is an example of a new approach by authorities to curb similar incidents, a legal expert told Fox News Digital.

Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.

On Thursday, authorities said the charges are connected to the possession of a weapon by Gray's son, Colt Gray, who allegedly killed two students and two teachers atApalachee High Schooland wounded nine others.

“This was done by authorities in Michigan who successfully prosecuted the parents of a teen who killed four students using a firearm his parents purchased for him,” said David Gelman, a criminal defense attorney and former deputy district attorney.

Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted in April of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced 10 years in prison after prosecutors said they kept an unsecured gun at home and showed indifference toward their son's mental health. Ethan Crumbley killed four students at a high school in 2021.

Colin Gray's case is different because he also faces murder charges, said Gelman.

“The charge of murder may be challenging to prove as this charge contemplates malice aforethought, as opposed to involuntary manslaughter which does not require a specific intention to cause death,” he said.

Apalachee High School shooting suspect to appear in court Friday

People gather to pay their respect the day after the mass shooting at Apalachee high school in Winder GA, United States on September 05, 2024. (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Colt Gray, 14-year-old accused of killing four people and injuring nine others during the shooting at Apalachee High School will make his first court appearance Friday.

The appearance is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time.

Gray, who is currently being held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, will be appearing virtually in Barrow County Superior Court, a Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice spokesperson announced Thursday.

Officials previously have said the suspect will face murder charges.

Georgia officers interviewed Apalachee High School shooting suspect in 2023, could not substantiate

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Jackson County, Georgia, officers in 2023 spoke face-to-face with the boy who is now charged with felony murder in the deaths of four atApalachee High Schoolin Winder on Wednesday.

The sheriff's officers described their interactions in a detailed investigation report from May 21, 2023, when suspect Colt Gray was 13 years old, after being tipped off by the FBI about a threat on the messaging app Discord of a threat to shoot up a middle school. Discord is popular with some video gamers.

Gray said he had previously deleted a Discord account and denied that he would make such a threat, "even in a joking manner," according to the report.

Gray's father, Colin, told the officers that he had hunting rifles in the house but that his son "does not have unfettered access to them." The two guns were both "locked away," the father told them. Authorities have said the shooting was carried out with an AR-style rifle.

"I urged Colin to keep his firearms locked away, and advised him to keep Colt out of school until this matter could be resolved," investigator Daniel Miller Jr. wrote.

Jackson County investigators could not substantiate the Discord threat, which came from a user profile that spelled Lanza in Russian, according to the report. Adam Lanza perpetrated the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.

The officer also found that the information sent to the FBI was communicated via various IP addresses across the world: Palmdale, California; Los Angeles; and co*ckburn, Australia. He also reviewed the email address and phone number related to the case as well as the user profile linked to the threats.

Read the full article about the shooting suspect by Timothy H.J. Nerozzi.

Georgia school shooting: 5 key questions investigators are asking about accused teen killer

A law enforcementexpert discussed whatGeorgia agenciesare lasered in on as they continue to investigate the tragic Apalachee High School shooting.

Matthew fa*giana, a retired police sergeant and law enforcement consultant, told Fox News Digital that Georgia's top law enforcement agencies are continuing to investigate Colt Gray's motivation while simultaneously working on ways to prevent future mass shootings in the community.

The suspected shooter, 14-year-old Gray, opened fire at the high school, killing 2 teachers and 2 students.

fa*giana said that law enforcement is focused on the 14-year-old's past and if he had any known interactionswith the victims. The law enforcement expert also said that investigative units would likely meticulously comb through Gray's home as well as the high school.

"I can only assume that the crime scene at the school is quite large," he said. "Those types of scenes require a very meticulous examination and collection of evidence – things like logging locations of evidence, spent casings.

"fa*giana said that investigators are attempting to answer what prompted the suspected shooter to open fire.

"One important piece of the suspect being taken into custody will be the interviews he provides to investigators," he said. "Any time we have someone who commits a mass killing, one of the most important questions we are trying to answer is the 'why.'"

"And becausemany school shooterseither kill themselves, or are killed by law enforcement to prevent further harm to others, we are often left without the ‘why’ and can only develop theories based on their history and any evidence they leave behind," he said.

Read thefull articleabout theshooting suspectby Sarah Rumpf-Whitten.