A grand jury in Barrow County, Georgia, has indicted a father and son on multiple murder charges in connection with a tragic mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder. The indictment, announced on Thursday, includes 14-year-old Colt Gray, who faces 55 charges, including four counts of malice murder and four counts of felony murder, along with aggravated assault and cruelty to children. His father, Colin Gray, has been indicted on 29 counts, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Missy Headrick, a deputy court clerk, confirmed that the two were indicted separately and that the documents will be publicly available soon. Both are scheduled to be arraigned on November 21, where they will formally enter their pleas. Colin Gray is currently detained at the Barrow County jail, while Colt Gray, charged as an adult, is being held in a juvenile detention center in Gainesville. Neither has applied for bail, and their attorneys have not commented on the case.
The investigation revealed that Colt Gray carried a semiautomatic assault-style rifle onto the school bus on September 4, with the barrel protruding from his backpack. He reportedly left a second-period class, exited a bathroom with the rifle, and opened fire in a classroom and the hallways. The shooting resulted in the deaths of two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both aged 14. Additionally, another teacher and eight students sustained injuries, with seven of them suffering gunshot wounds.
Evidence presented during a preliminary hearing indicated that Colt had meticulously planned the shooting. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that the teenager left behind a notebook containing detailed instructions for the assault, including a diagram of his classroom and an estimated potential casualty list of 26 people killed and 13 injured. In one disturbing note, Colt wrote, “Surprised if I make it this far.”
Signs of Colt Gray's troubled state had emerged prior to the incident. He had been questioned about an online threat linked to him in May 2023 but denied involvement. After enrolling as a freshman at Apalachee, he missed several days of school and experienced a severe anxiety attack in mid-August. A school counselor noted he expressed suicidal thoughts during a visit.
Colt's mother, Marcee Gray, informed investigators that she had urged Colin Gray to secure firearms at home and limit Colt's access to them. However, records show Colin continued to purchase ammunition and shooting accessories for his son. Plans for Colt to receive mental health treatment fell through shortly before the shooting due to parental disputes over his access to firearms and issues regarding transportation.
Colin Gray's indictment reflects a growing trend of prosecutors holding parents accountable for their children’s actions in school shootings. This follows the case of Jennifer and James Crumbley in Michigan, who were convicted for their role in their son’s mass shooting in 2021 due to negligence in securing firearms and ignoring signs of his mental health struggles.
District Attorney Brad Smith emphasized Colin Gray's responsibility during the preliminary hearing, stating, “He had primary custody of Colt. He had knowledge of Colt’s obsessions with school shooters. He had knowledge of Colt’s deteriorating mental state. And he provided the firearms and the ammunition that Colt used in this.”
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