Georgia Shooting: Teen Denied School Threats Before Massacre \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A 14-year-old boy, Colt Gray, was charged with murder following a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, killing four and injuring nine. Last year, authorities investigated Gray over a social media threat but found insufficient evidence to arrest him. The tragedy has renewed debates on gun control and law enforcement’s ability to prevent such violence.
Quick Read
- Suspect: 14-year-old Colt Gray charged with murder in a shooting at Apalachee High School, Georgia.
- Victims: Four people killed (two students, two teachers), nine others wounded.
- Previous Investigation: Gray was investigated in 2023 for a social media threat but no arrests were made due to conflicting evidence.
- Incident Details: Gray used a semiautomatic rifle in the attack; he surrendered after being confronted by school resource officers.
- Ongoing Debate: The shooting has reignited discussions on gun control and law enforcement’s ability to act on potential threats.
- Court Appearance: Gray’s first court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
- School Response: Classes were canceled as the community gathered to mourn the victims.
- National Context: This marks the 30th mass killing in the U.S. in 2023, with 127 deaths recorded.
Georgia Shooting, Full Story
The teenager charged with the recent shooting at a Georgia high school had previously denied making threats of a school shooting when interviewed by authorities last year about a concerning social media post, according to a sheriff’s report obtained on Thursday. Investigators were unable to make any arrests due to conflicting evidence regarding the post’s origin, the report noted. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum stated that after reviewing the report from May 2023, there was no justification at the time for pressing charges.
“We didn’t drop the ball on this,” Mangum said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We did everything we could with the information we had.”
Authorities have now charged 14-year-old Colt Gray as an adult for murder in Wednesday’s shooting at Apalachee High School, located near Atlanta. Arrest warrants allege that Gray used a semiautomatic assault-style rifle in the attack, which left two students and two teachers dead and wounded nine others.
In a previous investigation, a sheriff’s investigator from Jackson County interviewed Gray after the FBI flagged a social media threat made on Discord, a platform popular with gamers. The post, made when Gray was 13, allegedly threatened a middle school shooting. The FBI’s tip linked the post to an account associated with Gray’s email, but the teenager denied making any threats, even in jest.
The report noted that Gray’s father, Colin Gray, said the teen had struggled with his parents’ separation and had been bullied at school. He also mentioned that his son was familiar with firearms, often hunting with his father. The father showed a photo of Gray, taken during a hunting trip, with a deer’s blood smeared on his cheeks.
The sheriff’s investigator, Daniel Miller, found inconsistencies in the digital evidence, including profile information in Russian and account activity traced to multiple cities in Georgia and Buffalo, New York. As a result, no arrests were made.
The tragic event at Apalachee High School follows a series of school shootings across the U.S., reigniting debates on gun control. Classes were canceled at the high school on Thursday, though some community members gathered to mourn, leaving flowers at the flagpole.
Lyela Sayarath, a classmate of the suspect, initially thought Gray was skipping class when he left unexpectedly. But when he returned later, some students hesitated to let him back in after sensing something was off. Shortly after, authorities say Gray opened fire in the hallway. Two school resource officers quickly confronted and apprehended him.
Gray is being held at a youth detention center, with his first court appearance scheduled for Friday. He has been charged with the murders of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Nine others, including students and a teacher, were wounded but are expected to survive.
Authorities have yet to provide a motive or explain how the teen obtained the weapon or brought it into the school, which has about 1,900 students. This incident marks the 30th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press and USA Today, with at least 127 victims.
The case raises familiar concerns about law enforcement’s ability to act on potential threats. Similar patterns were seen in the Parkland, Florida, and Colorado nightclub shootings, where the suspects had previously been on the FBI’s radar but were not arrested. Such cases highlight the challenges authorities face in distinguishing between concerning behavior and actual criminal intent.
The report also revealed that Gray had access to guns at home, though his father insisted they were unloaded. Despite the warning signs, investigators were unable to verify the FBI’s tip last year to pursue further action.
