Teen and Father Charged With Murder After Georgia School Shooting

Updated September 9, 2024

• The Winder, Ga., community is mourning the loss of four people who were killed at last Wednesday's school shooting—14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.  
• 14-year-old Colt Gray and his father, Colin Grey, 54, were arrested for their roles in Georgia's school shooting. The teen was charged with killing two students and two teachers last Wednesday morning at Apalachee High School, where he was a freshman. He faces four counts of felony murder and could serve life in prison.
• His father faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges for allowing his son access to the military-style rifle used in the shooting. The AR-15 semiautomatic rifle was a Christmas present to his son, according to law enforcement. Judge Currie M. Mingledorff told the courtroom that the father's maximum penalty would add up to 180 years in prison. 
• Investigators have found evidence of the freshman's suspicious behavior, including interest in other mass shootings and disturbing messages on Discord, that could have acted as warning signs of the event. The suspect's mother, Marcee Gray, told relatives that she called the school to warn them around 30 minutes before authorities received reports of the shooting. It's unclear what prompted her to contact the school. However, text messages to her sister, Annie Brown, show Gray warning of an "extreme emergency."
• Brown said that in recent months, her nephew had begged for mental health help, citing being deeply affected by the turbulence in his home life. The teen's maternal grandfather, Charlie Polhamus, partially blamed his grandson's actions on his unstable home, which includes him and his father as his parents are separated. Polhamus said: 

"My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in."

• The teen's mother had pleaded guilty to charges of family violence, criminal trespass, and criminal damage to property in December and was forbidden from having contact with her estranged husband.

In Barrow County, Ga., four people were killed and at least nine hospitalized after a shooting at Apalachee High School. The shooting is the deadliest event of school violence in Georgia's history, and what President Joe Biden called "another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart."

According to investigators, a suspect is in custody. Sheriff Jud Smith declined to share any information about the individual's age, connection to the school, or whether officials were searching for other suspects. Smith said the situation was chaotic, and investigators still need to grasp the details of the event. He said:

"Please, let us get the facts that we need to make sure we get this right. Every minute, it's developing."

While speaking at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Vice President Kamala Harris said the shooting was "outrageous." She added:

"Our kids are sitting in a classroom where they should be fulfilling their God-given potential, and some part of their big beautiful brain is concerned about a shooter busting through the door of their classroom. It doesn't have to be this way."

This is a breaking story and will be updated. 

Photo Credit: MSNBC News