Newly unearthed footage has emerged that shows alleged Georgia school shooter Colt Gray with blood-streaked cheeks and holding an AR-15-style rifle at just 12 years old after he hunted and shot his first deer alongside his father.
The video, recorded and narrated by Colt's father, Colin Gray, in January 2023, shows the young, baby-faced Colt—now 14 years old—dressed in full camouflage, cradling the .450 Bushmaster rifle as he approaches the deer he just shot. Colt was arrested on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, minutes after allegedly shooting at students and teachers. Gray faces four felony murder charges and will be tried as an adult, police said.
Chilling Video of Baby-Faced Killer
In the video, Gray insists his young son to pose with the rifle and the dead deer, exclaiming to the camera, "I'll follow you, sir. Holy crap, look at that, brother!" as shared in a post on Colt's mother, Marcee Gray's, Instagram Reels.
The father takes the opportunity to share some gun safety tips to his young son during the moment.
"Go ahead and lay your rifle down on it, barrel up, so you don't get mud in the barrel. Lay the gun down like we had for the picture — remember, it's still loaded," Gray warns.
Colt then crouches next to the animal, raising its head to pose for photos while Gray looks on with pride.
"On your first-ever deer hunt — big old giant three-pointer. Amazing! Look at that, son. What a hell of a shot! Yes sir!" Gray says, pegging the kill distance at 107 yards.
He then asks his son about the rifle's recoil, to which Colt responds that he didn't feel it at all.
When Jackson County Sheriff's officers visited the family's home three months later, following an FBI tip that the teen had threatened to attack a middle school, Colin alluded to a photo of Colt with blood on his cheeks, describing their day in the woods as "the greatest day ever."
Signs of Troubled Past
He told investigators that part of his reason for teaching Colt how to handle firearms was to steer him away from video games.
Less than two years after this father-son bonding experience was recorded, both have been charged with manslaughter and murder following the shooting at Apalachee High School, which resulted in four deaths and left nine others injured and hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds.
Colt fired the gun, while his father provided it, although authorities say he may not have known what his son was planning to do.
Both Colt and his father appeared in back-to-back court hearings on Friday morning, with about 50 people attending the court proceedings. The elder Gray also faces charges related to the shooting, including involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder.
Colt was interviewed last year after the sheriff received a tip from the FBI suggesting that the then-13-year-old had "possibly threatened to shoot up a middle school tomorrow."
During a conversation with police in May 2023, Colin Gray said that he had recently separated from Colt's mother, who took their younger two children, leaving him to care for Colt, who was having difficulties at Jefferson Middle School.
Colin said that Colt "gets flustered and under pressure" and "doesn't really think straight." He added that he was trying to teach his son about weapons and engage him in outdoor activities to "get him away from those video games."
Colin Gray, whose lawyer also chose not to seek bail, faces charges including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
