14-year-old Colt Gray has been charged with fatally shooting four individuals at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), he smuggled a firearm into the school in his backpack and later concealed himself in a restroom before opening fire.

Gray kept the entire firearm used in the attack in his backpack, which was described by GBI as “unable to be disassembled.”

On the day of the incident, a teacher permitted Gray to exit class with the backpack after he claimed he needed to go to the front office, as reported by the GBI. He then hid in the bathroom.

Subsequently, he retrieved the rifle and began shooting, according to the GBI. Authorities apprehended him at 10:26 a.m., shortly after receiving reports of gunfire.

Four individuals were killed, including students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both aged 14, along with teachers Ricky Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Additionally, eight students and one teacher suffered injuries.

Gray faces four counts of felony murder and could receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole. His father, Colin Gray, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two second-degree murder counts, and eight counts of child cruelty. This makes him the first parent in Georgia to face charges in connection with an act committed by their child, according to prosecutors.

Community grapples with tragedy

This shooting, marking the deadliest school attack in a year, has left the small rural community in Georgia grieving and has ignited outrage directed at Colin Gray, who is accused of “knowingly allowing his son, Colt Gray, to have access to a firearm,” per the GBI’s report.

Footage from body cameras that was made public earlier this week showed law enforcement officers questioning both the teen and his father over a year prior to the shooting, following tips from the FBI about a Discord account associated with Colt Gray that had made threats regarding a school shooting.

In the recorded interview, Colin Gray acknowledged to investigators that his son had access to firearms but claimed that Colt understood the dangers associated with weapons. They regularly participated together in shooting activities and deer hunting.

Both father and son appeared in the Barrow County courtroom for arraignment on the same morning.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for YSL News. You can Follow her on X @CybeleMO.