Father of teenager suspected in Georgia school shooting arrested

 

Father of teenager suspected in Georgia school shooting arrested

 

Georgia bureau of investigation says it has arrested Colin Gray in connection with Apalachee high school shooting

 

Abené Clayton and agencies

Thu 5 Sep 2024 20.30 EDT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/05/georgia-school-shooting-father-arrested

 

The father of the teen suspected in the Georgia school shooting has been arrested, the Georgia bureau of investigation has said.

 

Colin Gray, 54, was arrested by the bureau in connection to the shooting at Apalachee high school. Colin is the father of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old who is suspected of fatally shooting two students and two teachers with an assault-style rifle at the high school on Wednesday.

 

He is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the Georgia bureau said.

 

“His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon,” Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia bureau of investigations, told reporters on Thursday evening.

 

“What are we facing? Heartbreak. A young person brought a gun into a school, committed an evil act and took lives, and injured people not just physically but mentally,” said Barrow county sheriff Jud Smith during the news conference.

 

The teenager has been charged as an adult in the deaths of the school students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and educators Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, the director of the Georgia bureau of investigation, Chris Hosey, said.

 

At least nine other people – seven students and two teachers – were taken to hospitals with injuries and all are expected to make a full recovery, Smith said.

 

Colin Gray is being held at the Barrow county detention center.

 

More than a year ago the alleged shooter was interviewed by Georgia police after they received tips about online posts threatening a school shooting. Police did not have enough probable cause to arrest him then, according to the Georgia bureau of investigation.