Father of Georgia school shooting suspect charged with murder

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Colin Gray, 54, the father of Colt Gray who is accused of killing four people in Georgia's worst school shooting, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Thursday in connection to his son's actions, authorities said.

Few specifics surrounding the senior Gray's arrest and offenses were released to the public during a Thursday night press conference , but Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey told reporters "the charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to posses a weapon."

Along with two counts of murder, Colin Gray has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children.

He is being held at the Barrow County Detention. According to jail records , he was booked at 8:24 p.m. local time.

The arrest was made once they had probable cause, Hosey said without elaborating.

"His charges are directly connected to the actions of his son and allowing him to posses a weapon," he said.

The announcement came hours after his son, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was charged with four counts of murder.

Colt Gray is accused of gunning down two teachers and two students with an AR-15-style "platform" weapon and wounding nine others on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder city, a suburb of Atlanta with a population of fewer than 18,500 people.

The deceased victims have been identified as 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teachers Richard Aspenwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.

The nine wounded are expected to make a fully recovery, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said during the press conference, adding that some have already been released from the hospital.

"What we're facing is heartbreak," he said. "We're heartbroken. A young person brought a gun into a school, committed an evil act and he took lives and he injured many other people, not only physically but mentally."

Asked if others could be charged in connection to the shooting, Hosey replied that "it's difficult to say at this time" and that the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities said additional charges are expected to be filed against Colt Gray, who is to make his first appearance in Barrow County Superior Court on Friday morning.

He is expected to be tried as an adult.

The GBI wrote on X Thursday: "The investigation into the shooting at Apalachee HS is still active & ongoing. This is day 2 of a very complex investigation & the integrity of the case is paramount. We ask for the public's patience as we work to ensure a successful prosecution & justice for the victims."

Lisette Angulo, the sister of deceased victim Christian Angulo, described her brother on a GoFundMe page as a man who was "loved by many."

" His loss was so sudden and unexpected. We are truly heartbroken. He really didn't deserve this," she said.

A GoFundMe page for Aspinwall said: "We are all in shock over the news that Ricky Aspinwall lost his life protecting his students. Please consider donating to help Shayna Aspinwall with expenses she will have to incur and to make sure her two precious babies are taken care of."

On their GoFundMe page, Irimie's family said: "She dedicated her life to shaping the minds and hearts of students and the community."

The FBI said late Wednesday that the shooting suspect was previously investigated in May 2023 after anonymous tips regarding threats he allegedly made to commit a school shooting.

At the time, Colt Gray denied making the online threats and the FBI said there was no legal basis for charging him for any crime.

On Thursday night, he was taken to a youth detention center in Gainesville.

During the shooting, the school used a new Crisis Alert System made by the Atlanta-based private company Centegix. In that system, teachers wear badges with the ability to press a button to notify law enforcement if a shooting is happening.

Investigators are working to determine Gray's motive for the shooting.

Jackson County Sheriff Janis Magnum said during a Thursday interview with The New York Times that, "I'm broken to think about what happened yesterday."

Her investigators interviewed Colt Gray in May 2023 over alleged online threats, she said.

When investigators questioned him in 2023 about the alleged online threats made on social media platform Discord, investigators said in a report that, " Colt expressed concern that someone is accusing him of threatening to shoot up a school, stating that he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner."

One investigator described the teen as "calm and reserved."

Police said Colin Gray had told them his son did not have unfettered access to the hunting guns in the house.

Hosey earlier said investigators know about previous contacts between the Gray family and the state's Department of Children and Family Services and are looking into that, as well.