Father of Georgia school shooter says he’s at risk behind bars

Colin Gray, 54, the father who has been charged alongside his 14-year-old son for a school shooting that claimed four lives last week in Georgia , has asked a judge for protection from his fellow inmates.

According to NBC News , Gray said he is facing an “incalculable number of threats” in jail. He was arrested last Thursday and charged with second-degree murder, as well as four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children.

This arrest follows the arrest and conviction of Jennifer and James Crumbley in Michigan . Their son Ethan killed four people in a mass shooting when he was 15 years old. Although the Crumbleys knew their son was struggling with mental health issues, they failed to get him help and instead purchased him a handgun that the family failed to keep properly stored, according to prosecutors.

In Georgia, Colin Gray, who had custody of his son, is accused of allowing the teen to have access to a weapon. Last year, Colt Gray was the subject of a local police investigation after law enforcement received tips that he had allegedly made threats to commit a school shooting, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

At the time, his father said there were hunting guns in their home but that his son could not access them unsupervised. Police did not think there was probable cause to make an arrest.

Last Wednesday, Colt brought an AR-style rifle to Apalachee High School outside of Atlanta and opened fire. He’s accused of killing fellow students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Eight other students and one other teacher were injured.

Colt was booked into the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center Thursday. He has been charged with four counts of felony murder.

Colin Gray’s attorneys – Jimmy Berry and Brian Hobbs – argued that he should be separated from other inmates held at the Barrow County Detention Center due to the media attention related to the case and the aforementioned threats. Colin Gray is being held in jail without bail. Some of the threats called for harm against him and others called for his death, said the man’s legal team.

Marcee Gray, Colt Gray’s mother, has not been charged. Before the shooting occurred, she reportedly called Apalachee High School to warn them about an “extreme emergency,” when she received a text that said “I’m sorry, mom.”