The teenager who allegedly shot four people at a Georgia high school on Wednesday has been identified as 14-year-old student Colt Gray, who had been under FBI radar since last year. The bureau revealed that local authorities had previously investigated the teen gunman in connection with online threats related to school shootings.
The FBI said that it had questioned Gray and his father last year after receiving "several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time." Authorities said that Gray "denied posting the threats online" at that time, and the only step taken was to advise local schools to "closely monitor" him.
Both Killer and Father on Radar
Gray's father told investigators at the time that there were hunting guns in the house, but his son did not have unsupervised access to them, according to the statement.
While there was no probable cause to take further action, local schools were notified to "continue monitoring" Gray, the statement added.
Chris Hosey, the Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, confirmed that authorities are investigating any potential connections between the 2023 threats and the shooting that occurred Wednesday at Apalachee High School.
"This is not recent. This is in the past, but we wanted to bring that to your attention because we are pursuing that, working with the FBI on this in any connection to that incident that could be connected to today's incident as well," Hosey told reporters in a Wednesday night press briefing.
Hosey also said that investigators have been told that Gray's family had previous interactions with local children's services.
"We are pursuing that avenue as well to see if that has any connection with today's incident," the director said.
Killing His Own Friends
During a press conference on Wednesday night, officials identified the four victims of the shooting as teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, along with 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo.
Another nine individuals, including special education math teacher David Phenix, were rushed to nearby hospitals with gunshot injuries.
Gray is accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School with an AR-style weapon around 10:30 a.m. that morning, according to authorities.
Gray "immediately surrendered" to two school resource officers who responded to the scene, and he was subsequently taken into custody, Hosey said.
The shooter's motive is still under investigation.
Law enforcement officials stated that they have questioned Gray, his family members, and others connected to the teen since his arrest.
"I don't know why it happened. We may never know," Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.
Officials stated that he will be charged with murder as an adult. "This is everybody's worst nightmare," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters Wednesday night at the scene.
"These are our neighbors. These are our friends. And this community is hurting today," he continued.
"And I would just ask all Georgians and all Americans to continue to keep these families, these educators, and these students in your thoughts and prayers."
