JEFFERSON, Georgia – The discussion on the porch of 954 River Mist Circle, between two local sheriffs and a father-son duo, lacked any sign of urgency. Their conversation was calm and friendly, which is far from what one would expect from an FBI tip regarding a threat of a school shooting with an AR-15 rifle.

“I need to trust you’re being honest with me,” said Jackson County Sheriff’s Investigator Daniel Miller, Jr. to Colt Gray, a soft-spoken 13-year-old who expressed a desire to be a philosopher and stressed he had no intention of harming anyone.

Fast forward sixteen months, that encounter in Georgia highlights how much the FBI, local sheriffs, and school authorities knew about Gray—and his unstable family situation—before the tragic shooting last week that claimed the lives of two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School. It also provides an insight into the ways police engage with individuals who could potentially become mass shooters, the warning signs, and how authorities investigate alarming tips about potentially dangerous students nationwide.

During the May 2023 meeting, Miller, Jr. and Deputy Justin Elliott asked various questions, as recorded in a bodycam transcript. These included queries about how Colt felt about school, if he experienced bullying, and whether he could speak Russian. The interest in Russian stemmed from a threat on social media that mentioned this language and referenced Adam Lanza, the shooter responsible for the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in 2012.

However, the responding officers chose not to enter the house after the boy’s father, Colin Gray, mentioned having weapons inside. Colin told them these firearms were used for hunting and accessible to his son, admitting that Colt has faced some social difficulties and struggles in school.

Despite Colt being bashful and reserved, he didn’t say much that connected him to the online threats about a school shooting.

When questioned by the officers, Colt insisted he wasn’t responsible for the threat made on the Discord platform, stating he wasn’t even aware of it. “No, the only thing I have is TikTok where I just watch videos,” he explained to the police.

Even though he had been bullied and sought help, Colt told the investigators he would never resort to violence and didn’t know anyone who might. He did mention having moved six times and facing challenges in making friends at various schools he attended.

“At my last school, I surprisingly had friends,” Colt remarked to the officers. “I can’t exactly say why that is,” presumably implying some connection to the shooting threats.

Ultimately, the brief conversation led to the conclusion that there was no immediate threat, according to Jackson County records.

“I couldn’t verify the tip,” Miller stated in his report from the 2023 visit, which was obtained by YSL News. “At this moment, due to the inconsistent nature of the information provided by the FBI, the claim that Colt or Colin is linked to the Discord account that issued the threat cannot be verified. This case will be exceptionally cleared.”

‘I’m Not That Kind of Kid, Dad’

In a follow-up conversation, Colin Gray mentioned his son was taken aback by the police visit. “He’s like, I can’t believe this is happening,” Colin recalled, describing his son’s reaction. “He’s like, I’m a good boy, Dad. I would never do that.”

Colin expressed disbelief that Colt could ever commit such an act. He acknowledged his son faced some social challenges in class, which led to Colin’s frequent meetings with school authorities.

Colin added that his son became easily flustered and confirmed there were guns in their home. However, he asserted Colt understood how to handle them safely—sharing that Colt had just successfully hunted his first deer during a father-son outing.

Throughout the questioning, Colt remained polite, responding with “Oh yes, sir” and nodding when prompted for answers.

In the end, both Miller and Elliott assured the Gray family that they would consider their information in their report.

“I’m not insinuating that you’re lying,” Miller clarified, mainly during the questioning, “but it’s not uncommon for people to be untruthful with police. Understand?”

‘Lacking Sufficient Evidence’

As they walked back to their patrol cars, Miller and Elliott appeared to regard the situation as resolved.

“Should I complete the report, or do you want to?” Miller queried.

“It doesn’t matter, this will simply be an informational report or assist for the agency. Contact was made with these individuals. They were unaware,” Elliott responded, alluding to the FBI, which had forwarded the threat information to Jackson County after receiving tips from three different sources worldwide, including Australia.

“Honestly, we couldn’t verify anything at this stage,” Miller concluded.

“Exactly,” Elliott agreed.

“So until we obtain more details from this so-called tip from the FBI…” Miller continued.

“We’ll just compose an assisting report for the FBI and wrap it up,” Elliott finalized, echoing Miller’s point.

A Mass Shooting at Apalachee High Brings Up Concerns

Fast forward nearly 16 months later, that initial visit is raising concerns regarding whether the two officers, along with a wider network of police, educational institutions, and family members, did enough to prevent the mass shooting at Apalachee.

Many family members have stated the signs were all there, highlighting a need for further investigation into the missed warnings.

Reports indicate that the boy had been crying out for assistance for several months, if not longer. Colt’s maternal grandmother has informed journalists that his father, who gained custody following his mother’s struggles with drug addiction, had pushed him towards violence.

On the previous Wednesday, 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly carried out a shooting using an AR-style firearm, similar to one referenced in a threat posted in May 2023.

Colt surrendered soon after the incident, which took place in and around an algebra classroom, and was taken into custody without delay. He faces four murder charges and, due to his age, will be treated as an adult in court. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Colin Gray, 54, has also been arrested on charges including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of child cruelty, as reported by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“These charges are due to Mr. Gray knowingly permitting his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” stated GBI Director Chris Hosey. “His charges are directly related to his son’s actions and the fact that he allowed him to handle a firearm.”

‘A school shooting at an unspecified time and place’

Following the shooting, the FBI’s Atlanta field office released a statement confirming that their National Threat Operations Center had received “multiple anonymous tips about online threats concerning a school shooting at a yet-to-be-identified time and location,” which were forwarded to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for further action.

These online threats allegedly included images of firearms, according to the FBI.

“The father mentioned having hunting rifles at home but stated that the boy did not have unsupervised access to them,” the FBI’s statement noted. “The boy denied making any online threats. Jackson County notified local schools to keep a watch on the boy.”

However, the FBI ultimately concluded that “there was no probable cause to make any arrests or warrant further law enforcement actions at local, state, or federal levels.”

A review of bodycam footage by YSL News seems to indicate that the two deputies could have pursued the investigation further; they notably did not ask if there were any AR-style weapons in the home.

“Colt mentioned he once had a Discord account but deleted it before moving from their previous home due to fears that someone hacked it,” Miller reported in his ‘Investigator’s Face Sheet’. “Colt voiced worries about being accused of threatening to carry out a school shooting, insisting that he would never make such a claim, even jokingly.”

Regarding Colt’s father, Miller noted, “Colin confirmed he has firearms at home but insisted those are hunting rifles. He said Colt is allowed to use them under supervision, but does not have unrestricted access.”

Despite this, Elliott’s final report seemed to treat the matter as resolved.

“The juvenile appeared calm and composed when we spoke with him and his father, Colin,” Elliott wrote in his “Miscellaneous Incident Report.” After documenting the case numbers, he summarized, “We resumed our duties, with no further updates at that time.”

‘A significant oversight’

Felipe Rodriguez, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former NYC Police Department detective sergeant, criticized the officers who interviewed Gray.

“They acted as if it was their first day on the job,” Rodriguez remarked about the deputies’ naive acceptance of the 13-year-old’s claims. “Good officers verify facts. When you don’t corroborate, that’s when mistakes happen, and we end up looking foolish.”

A major oversight, according to him, was not checking the house to verify that the elder Gray’s firearms were out of reach or examining the home for any signs of neglect or insufficient food, which could have prompted a call to child protective services.

“That would have been the moment to seek additional help, disrupt the cycle, and prevent this incident,” Rodriguez added, noting multiple ways they could have approached the situation, like requesting water or probing into Gray’s interest in “philosophy” to learn more about his writings on the subject.

He further expressed that the officers neglected to ask either Gray for clarification on their responses or inform Colin of their family’s previous legal issues, including 911 calls and an eviction from a year prior.

Rodriguez also pointed out that Colt matched the profile of a mass shooter: a young, isolated white male.

“We’re witnessing more and more mass shootings, and we must take every precaution possible,” Rodriguez stated. Instead, “they were conversing casually, as if the child had merely stolen a cupcake.”

‘Easy to second-guess the police now’

With the tragic events that unfolded more than a year after Colt Gray and his father were questioned, it’s not surprising to reflect on missed opportunities, said Katherine Schweit, a former FBI supervisory agent, lawyer, and leading expert on active shooting prevention in schools.

Schweit explained that the FBI acted correctly by directing the tip to the local authorities for investigation and potential follow-up.

Considering Colt’s relatively calm behavior, the denials from both father and son, as well as the absence of visible distress, it’s difficult to completely blame local investigators without additional context, Schweit explained to YSL News.

“In hindsight, it’s easy to suggest that the police should have interpreted comments more deeply or taken further steps, but understand that officers handle these scenarios daily across the country and must make judgment calls on whether further action is warranted,” noted Schweit, who previously developed and led the FBI’s Active Shooter Program.

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She now heads an advocacy and training organization called “Stop the Killing,” which she founded after leaving the FBI.

“It would certainly be beneficial for law enforcement to establish guidelines about when to involve schools and vice versa when dealing with such threats,” Schweit suggested.

“The events surrounding this shooting signal to us that improvements are needed,” she concluded. “We absolutely need to do better.”

Talking back and forth is important. While this won’t stop all shootings, it could help us avoid some of them.