Father of US high school shooter admits giving his son the murder weapon as Christmas gift

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with killing four people in a US high school shooting, while his father faces manslaughter charges, CNN reported on Thursday.

 

Colin Gray, 54, is facing multiple charges, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

 

His son, Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student, is accused of using an AR-style rifle to kill two students and two teachers in the attack that took place on Wednesday at the Apalachee High School in the southern state of Georgia.

 

Seven others, including six students and a teacher, were shot and injured, while two additional students sustained non-gunshot-related injuries, authorities confirmed.

 

The teenager faces four counts of felony murder, according to charging documents obtained by CNN. The GBI and Barrow County Sheriff’s Office have stated that he is expected to be tried as an adult.

 

GBI Director Chris Hosey said at a news conference on Thursday that the charges against Colin are based on allegations that he “knowingly allowed” his son to possess a weapon.

 

Two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation disclosed to CNN that Colin told investigators he had bought the gun used in the shootings as a holiday gift for his son in December 2023.

According to one source, the AR-15-style rifle was purchased at a local gun store as a Christmas present.

The timeline provided by the teen’s father suggests that the gun was purchased months after authorities had first contacted Gray and his family to investigate online threats of a school shooting allegedly made by the teen.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia ended the investigation after determining that the tip about the threat could not be substantiated.

 

This latest school shooting, occurring just weeks into the new academic year, marks the 45th such incident in the US this year and the most devastating since the March 2023 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, where six people were killed.

 

Authorities reported on Thursday that the nine individuals injured in the incident are expected to make a full recovery.