Another devastating school shooting has sent shockwaves through a small Georgia town, and this time, it’s not just the shooter facing charges.
The father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, the teen accused of gunning down two teachers and two students, has been arrested in connection to the massacre. Yes, you read that right—the father, Colin Gray, is now sitting behind bars for buying his son the rifle used in the shooting. Investigators didn’t mince words when they charged him with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children.
The Georgia school sh**ter grew up in an abusive home, and his mother has a long criminal history with drug possession, domestic violence, DUI, and fraud.
Colt Gray’s father, Colin also is believed to have bought him an AR-15 rifle last Christmas, even though he had been… pic.twitter.com/UedBQmotBM
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) September 6, 2024
So, how did it come to this? Well, let’s rewind to May 2023. The local sheriff’s office responded to a report that Colt, then just 13, was allegedly making threats to shoot up a middle school on Discord. His father, Colin, brushed off the allegations, saying his son had “some problems” at his old school but had improved since switching schools.
And while he admitted there were hunting rifles in the house, he insisted they were only used under supervision. Colt, of course, denied everything—claiming he never made any threats. Seems like that “boys will be boys” attitude cost this town more than anyone could have imagined.
Fast forward to this week’s horrifying events, and it turns out those rifles weren’t as locked up as the Dad made it seem. Investigators are now holding Colin Gray accountable for putting that deadly weapon in his son’s hands, leading to the tragic deaths of four innocent people. And let’s be clear: this isn’t just a case of poor parenting—it’s a criminal act with catastrophic consequences.
While the investigation continues, one thing is certain: this community is in mourning. Sheriff Jud Smith, visibly shaken, revealed that the nine injured—including two teachers and seven students—are expected to recover. But the emotional wounds? Those will take much longer to heal.
An aunt of the Georgia school shooter Colt Gray was on FB yesterday DEFENDING her nephew. This is not a joke. I verified the account’s legitimacy by looking through comments, photos, and friends to see if they are related – they are. She has now blocked me or privated her page. pic.twitter.com/BQqtR8rWWO
— Olivia Rondeau 🇺🇸 (@rondeaulivia) September 5, 2024
In the aftermath, law enforcement is pleading for vigilance. Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, urged students to report any suspicious behavior they see or hear. “We take incidents like this very seriously across this state,” he said, making it clear that threats, whether real or rumored, will no longer be shrugged off as teenage banter.
Sheriff Smith wrapped it up perfectly when he called the teachers “heroes.” Because that’s exactly what they are—heroes standing on the front lines of a broken system. A system where warning signs were ignored, where a father’s poor judgment allowed a child access to deadly weapons, and where a community now faces the unthinkable aftermath.
As Smith implored, it’s time to lift up the community. But let’s not forget that this tragedy could have been prevented if those early warnings had been listened to.
