Georgia arrests father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect

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

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A student embraces her classmate near a makeshift memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 5. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Published: 9:34am, 6 Sep 2024Updated: 8:35pm, 6 Sep 2024

Georgia state officials arrested the father of the 14-year-old suspected school shooter Colt Gray on Thursday in connection with Wednesday’s shooting that killed four people and wounded nine at Apalachee High School, saying the father knowingly allowed his son to have the murder weapon.

Colin Gray, 54, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

“These charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son Colt to possess a weapon,” Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, told a media conference.

Colt Gray, 14, has been charged with four counts of felony murder and would be tried as an adult, officials said. His arraignment is set for Friday morning before a Georgia Superior Court judge in Barrow County by video camera.

Both Grays had been questioned by local officials in neighbouring Jackson County last year in connection with an online threat to commit a school shooting, but there was no probable cause for their arrest, the FBI said on Wednesday.