Colin Gray, 54, told detectives in an interview last year that his son, Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, was bullied by classmates who called him gay. Colin made these claims during an interview with the Jackson County Sheriff's office after the FBI received a tip that his son had made threats about carrying out a shooting at his middle school.
The 14-year-old 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, Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. Gray's father was also arrested on Thursday and was charged with murder.
Bullied in Class, Called Gay
"It was very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on," Colin Gray told an investigator, according to a transcript of the conversation obtained by the Daily Mail.
The father also said: "It went from one thing to another... I was trying to get him on the golf team... [they were like] Oh, look, Colt's gay. He's dating that guy. Just ridiculed him day after day after day."
Gray, 14, is being tried as an adult for the murders of Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, as well as Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Besides he injured, nine others during Wednesday's rampage at Apalachee High School in Winder, near Atlanta.
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 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."
Broken Family, Troubled Life
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 also showed the officer a picture of Colt with blood on his face, explaining that it was from when the teen shot his first deer, which he described as the "best day ever."
"He knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do, and how to use them and not use them," Colin Gray said according, the outlet reported.
The father said that he and his son frequently discussed school shootings, expressing his concern by saying, "you never really know, and I don't want anything to happen to him."
Colin also reportedly told officers that he would be "mad as hell" if he found out the allegations about his son making threats were true and promised that "all the guns would go away."
On Friday, Gray appeared in court, shackled and followed closely by his father Colin Gray, who was told that he could face up to 180 years in prison if found guilty of helping his son obtain the AR-style rifle allegedly used to kill four students and teachers.
The 14-year-old suspect, wearing green prison attire, stood before Barrow County Court for a brief bond hearing on Friday morning after being charged as an adult with four counts of murder for the Wednesday mass shooting at Apalachee High School.
The teen, currently held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, stared straight ahead with his shaggy blonde hair partially covering his face as the judge informed him that he could potentially face the death penalty if convicted.
Gray, who did not enter a plea, was led out of the courtroom with his wrists and ankles shackled after his lawyer chose not to request bail.
However, Judge Currie Mingledorff soon brought Gray back into the courtroom to correct an earlier statement, informing the teen that, due to his age being under 18, he would not be eligible for the death penalty. Instead, he could face life imprisonment.
Colin Gray, 54, appeared in the same courtroom shortly after his son, facing a spate of charges, including those related to providing the AR-15-style rifle allegedly used in the deadly shooting.
Dressed in a gray-striped jail uniform, the elder Gray closed his eyes and rocked back and forth in his seat as the judge informed him that he could face up to 180 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
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.
