Colin Gray, the father of accused Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, called him a "sissy" and believed his 14-year-old son was too soft and bought him an AR-15-style rifle in to "toughen him up," a relative has claimed. Colin gave the gun to Colt as a Christmas gift, and it was allegedly used in the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School.
Colt's father also took him on hunting trips in the 18 months leading up to the shooting, which claimed four lives. It has now come to light that Colin Gray, who is also facing charges in connection with the murders, often used derogatory slurs when speaking to his son.
Abusive Father
"He would call Colt names to his face," a relative of Colt's mother, Marcee, told the New York Post reported "Names that no boy wants to hear: sissy, p—y, bitch... just names that were meant to break him down and emasculate him.
"Colin always thought that Colt was too gentle and tender. That's why I believe he gave him the rifle."
The mass shooting on September 4 claimed the lives of four people: Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Christian Angulo, 14, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured.
Colin Gray, 54, admitted to giving his son the rifle, even though he had previously been questioned by police regarding threats his son allegedly made toward the school.
The father and son had been under FBI radar for over a year, but no arrests were made due to the lack of probable cause at the time.
Colin now faces charges of two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of child cruelty. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 180 years in prison.
According to a report from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Colin Gray told police his son wasn't a loner, but had been bullied at school, with classmates teasing him and calling him gay.
Father wanted to Protect Son, Make Him Tough
The report also mentions that Colt told his father, "I'm a good boy Daddy, I would never do it' and said, "I don't want to be caught up in any of that."
Colin told police that it was "very difficult" for his son to attend school without being bullied, and he had been trying to get him involved in a school sports team to help.
'It went from one thing to another," Colin said. "He was talking to the couple of friends he had, and it was like "oh look Colt's gay, he's dating that guy".
"Just ridiculed him day after day after day."
Both father and son appeared in Barrow County Superior Court on Friday, shackled and handcuffed in front of their bodies.
After his arrest on Wednesday, Colt allegedly admitted to the crime, telling police, "I did it," when they read him his Miranda rights.
This came as Colt mother Marcee Gray spoke out for the first time since the massacre. Marcee said that she would "take the place" of each victim if she could.
Marcee claimed that she contacted Apalachee High School and spoke with a guidance counselor shortly before her 14-year-old son began shooting.
Marcee has shared details about the moment she realized something was seriously wrong with her son on the morning of September 5 in an interview with ABC. She said that she contacted Colt's school counselor that morning to inform them about a troubling text message she had received from him.
"The counselor said, ''well I want to let you know that earlier this morning, one of Colt's teachers sent me an email that said Colt had been making references to school shootings,'" Marcee claimed.
"Between my gut feelings, the text messages and now this email, y'all need to go, like, run, to the classroom."
Marcee also tearfully said: "If I could take their place, I would. I would in a heartbeat."
Marcee herself has a long rap sheet.
The former quality engineer was arrested in Barrow County in November on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and muscle relaxants. She was also charged with aggravated battery, theft by taking, criminal trespass, false imprisonment, and failure to appear in January in Fitzgerald County.
