Father Of US School Shooting Suspect Faces Murder Charges
The father of US school shooting suspect, Colt Gray, 14, is charged with several counts of cruelty to children. The details came out after the incident of a US school shooting in Georgia on September 5, 2024.
Colt Gray, 54, the father, is accused of four counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree murder. Also, there are eight counts of cruelty to children in his history.
(Also read: Father of Teen Suspected in US School Shooting Taken into Custody)
The investigators probed into the details of the horrific incident. It was revealed that the father of a US school shooting suspect charged with murder gave the same gun as a holiday present for his son, Colt Gray, in December 2023. The gun was previously used in a shooting.
Colt Gray was a student in a Georgia school named Apalachee High School, who rode a bus that day with a rifle and knife in his backpack. Two hours after reaching the school, he committed the most vicious shooting that had ever taken place since March 2023.
In the same US school shooting, nine people were injured in addition to two teachers and two pupils who died.
Colt Gray was enrolled in the school on August 14 and had been missing classes nine days before the shooting. He is now charged with four counts of felony for which Barrow District court said that the teenager would be tried as an adult. One of the consequences he could encounter is serving out the remainder of his life in prison.
In Georgia, the law of the state counts a teenager of 13 years onwards is not counted as a minor if he commits a crime. The court treats him as an adult in crime convictions.
There are high chances for such a teenager to be charged severely when it comes to law enforcement and punishment for their crimes.
The ongoing investigation revealed that the father of US school shooting suspect and son have problematic family lives
The father of US school shooting suspect charged with murder has been through a shady family situation. His parents experienced a bitter separation and he went through a custody dispute for years.
His mother was arrested on suspicion of damaging her husband’s car with keys and possession of drugs, which was verified by law enforcement records.
According to law enforcement officials, certain notes about the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Florida were found in the teenager’s bedroom. His motive for the shooting is still being questioned.
He accepted the crime by saying “I did it” in front of the investigators and authorities.
The father of US school shooting suspect is already a murderer
There are former murder charges against school shooting suspect father, Colin Gray. Now, a legal case against father of US school shooter is opened for allowing his son to have the weapon in his bag and even being the one who gave it to him as a present.
Apalachee High School announced a two-week lockdown after the incident. Now, the students of Apalachee High School would be returning to the campus amidst fears.
To minimise the apprehensions and panics of students as well as their parents, the Principal, Jessica Rehberg wrote a letter that said, “We understand that returning to campus might be overwhelming for some and we are here to support you”.
The school had made arrangements in collaboration with the police to arrange therapy dogs and strict law enforcement at the campus. The options were suggested by the principal to look after those who have been through the school shooting incident leaving drastic memories in their minds.
49 school shootings have been recorded in the United States only during this year till September 13. Some included shootings on college campuses while the others were on K-12 school grounds.
According to The Washington Post’s data, 417 school shootings have occurred since the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School incident. Approximately 383,000 students had to face disastrous experiences of gun violence at school, which should be a place of peace and learning.
Father of US school shooting suspect, Colin Gray and his son, have not pleaded for the bail. Their attorneys have either chosen to stay silent or have not responded back to comment further.
