The family of Georgia school shooter Colt Gray vowed to go "full throttle" after the 14-year-old was charged as an adult for the murder of four people on Wednesday. Gray's relatives leapt to his defense within hours of him allegedly opening fire at Apalachee High School, killing four and injuring nine others
Gray's aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, posted on Facebook in the aftermath, highlighting the several challenges he had "dealt with" and saying that she "will take care of my nephew and what he needs on this side." Georgia. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said that Gray surrendered immediately when approached by law enforcement, complying by lying on the ground.
Family Comes to Gray's Defense
Brown immediately came to Gray's defense and wrote, "Just check yourself before you speak about a child that never asked to deal with the bull**** he saw on a daily basis."
"Y'all ready to see Polhamus blood in full throttle? Nah, I wouldn't either,' she wrote in another post. However, the posts have now been deleted.
The social media posts ignited outrage as tributes flooded in for the four victims of the tragedy: teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, and 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo.
Authorities are still investigating how Gray managed to bring an AR-style weapon into the school. Footage from the aftermath appears to show the weapon lying on the floor as frightened students were escorted down the hallways to safety.
As parents and police rushed to the school in Winder, Georgia, Polhamus Brown turned to Facebook, asking for help in reaching the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
"Please someone get me in touch with GBI!!! I've tried calling!" she wrote, following up with: "I am not scared, I will not back down."
"I will not leave my nephew standing alone!!!" she continued in the post. "When Uvalde (school shooting) happened, I told my own children that 'only hurt people hurt people.'"
Polhamus Brown stated that she did "everything I could to fight for my nephew," while criticizing others for "playing the blame game."
She also addressed the victims of the shooting, acknowledging that the "families affected by my nephew's actions deserve all the attention now." "I will NOT disrespect other parents and families that are dealing with this tragedy on the opposite end. THEY DID NOT DESERVE THIS," she wrote.
Social Media Outrage
Following Polhamus Brown's social media posts, some people criticized her comments, with one person remarking that the alleged shooter's "family failed him, and now you want to make excuses."
Officials said that Gray's shooting rampage was stopped within minutes, as he immediately surrendered when confronted by law enforcement, "giving up and getting on the ground."
Gray had been on the FBI's radar for over a year due to an investigation into online threats about a school shooting.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office had interviewed Gray and his father in response to multiple tips received by the FBI in May 2023, which included photos of firearms.
At the time, he denied making the threats, and his father told investigators that while there were hunting guns in their home, Gray did not have unsupervised access to them, FBI said.
It remains unclear how the 14-year-old obtained the weapon used in the attack, and officials have not disclosed the type of firearm involved.
Following his arrest, Gray will face murder charges and will be tried as an adult, according to the Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Law enforcement said that Gray began shooting around 10:23 a.m., impacting at least 13 people as chaos unfolded at the school.
