In recent developments, his father has been taken into custody and faces charges related to the shooting. Colin Gray admitted to authorities that he bought the weapon for his son as a holiday present.
He is now facing charges of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children, reports the Mirror US .
Further details disclosed that both Colt and his father had been interviewed last year by FBI Atlanta and the Barrow County Sheriff's office regarding alleged online threats made by Colt. The FBI Atlanta Field Office stated that there was insufficient probable cause to arrest Gray for those alleged threats at the time.
At a press conference held today, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the charges against Colin, emphasizing that he is being charged because he "knowingly allowed" his son access to firearms.
Two students have spoken out about what they saw inside the school, with both describing watching their teacher take his final breaths after being shot.
Stephanie Reyna, 17, and Brayan Maldonado, also 17, told ABC News that they were in the classroom with other terrified students hiding when their teacher, Richard 'Coach' Aspinwall, went out to the hallway to see what was happening.
When they looked up, they saw their teacher "trying to crawl back to us ... we just think he was trying to get to us," Reyna said, with Maldonado adding: "A couple minutes passed by. He's taking his breaths. And then we hear his final breaths."
A classroom full of students said the terrifying moment began when they heard 'banging on the lockers' in the hallway, prompting Aspinwall to leave the classroom to investigate the noises, which is when the students started hearing 'popping' sounds.
Reyna and Maldano said that's when they hid, and that they were hiding for a few minutes when they noticed their teacher lying in the doorway "just laying there," Reyna said, adding: "That's when we realized that our classroom door was still open.
"Then one of my classmates got the courage to stand up from his position of hiding" and drag Aspinwall's body into their classroom, Maldonado told ABC reporters, adding: "That encouraged me to stand up."
Maldonado recounted the harrowing moment when he and his classmates sprang into action, securing their classroom door and using furniture to block entry. "We were just putting anything we possibly could to make sure [the shooter] couldn't get in," he detailed.
Reyna remarked that amidst the terror, some students were 'hyperventilating,' others in tears. It was a daunting wait for rescue, as first responders methodically cleared classrooms before theirs, finally evacuating them to the safety of the football field.
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