A teen allegedly killed 4 people at his Georgia high school. Now his father is going on trial for murder

By Eric Levenson

(CNN) — The father of the teenager who allegedly killed four people at his Georgia high school in 2024 is set to stand trial on murder and manslaughter charges in the latest case testing the limits of who is responsible for a school shooting.

Colin Gray, the father of Colt Gray, has pleaded not guilty to nearly 30 charges, including two counts each of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

The case stems from the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School, when then-14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly used an AR15-style rifle to kill two students and two teachers and injure nine others. He ultimately surrendered to police and has admitted to the shooting, according to authorities.

More than a year earlier, law enforcement had questioned the teen and father about “online threats to commit a school shooting,” though no charges were filed, authorities said. Even so, Colin Gray bought a firearm for his son as a Christmas present in December 2023 – the same firearm he used in the mass shooting, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

The indictment alleges Gray allowed his teenage son access to a firearm and ammunition after receiving “sufficient warning” that his son would harm and endanger others, actions that constitute “criminal negligence” by “consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk.”

A defense attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

The trial is part of a broader push to hold more people accountable for a school shooting, a group that has grown to include parents and responding law enforcement officers. Testimony is also likely to include emotional stories from those who were in the school that day.

This case bears similarities to the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old son killed four students in 2021 at his high school in Oxford, Michigan. Prosecutors accused the parents of allowing their son access to the firearm and ignoring warnings about his declining mental health and risk to others.

The Crumbleys were each convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. That was believed to be just the first and second time that a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child.

Andrew Fleischman, a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, said the jury’s sympathy for the victims and desire to blame someone could make it a difficult case for Colin Gray’s defense.

“The state is going to probably argue that, but for this father’s negligence, these kids would all be alive,” he said. “That’s very hard to get past.”

Still, the case could depend on what specific steps the father took to address the risks: Did he safely secure the firearm and ammunition? Did he take steps to address his son’s mental health in therapy or in school?

“There are lots of ways that you can show that you are not being fully criminally negligent,” Fleischman said.

Colin Gray has remained behind bars since his arrest a day after the shooting. If convicted, he faces 10 to 30 years in prison on each murder charge and 1 to 10 years on each manslaughter charge.

The trial is set to begin with jury selection Monday and is expected to last about three weeks.

Colt Gray, now 16, has been indicted on 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder, and will be tried as an adult, according to court documents. He has pleaded not guilty, although a defense attorney last year raised the possibility he may change his plea. A trial date has not been set.

‘We do a lot of shooting’

The mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, began the morning of September 4, 2024.

Colt Gray had enrolled at the school on August 14 and had already missed nine days of classes leading up to the shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Colt left Algebra class at 9:45 a.m., and gunshots were soon heard in a nearby classroom, a student told CNN at the time. The gun had been hidden in his backpack, authorities said.

The first report of an active shooter came in around 10:20 a.m., authorities said.

“I heard gunshots outside my classroom and people screaming, people begging not to get shot,” said then-14-year-old student Macey Right. “And then people sitting beside me (were) just shaking and crying.”

A resource officer confronted the shooter, who immediately surrendered and was taken into custody, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said. The suspect told investigators, “I did it,” while being questioned, according to Smith.

Investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation allege the firearm used in the attack had been purchased by his father despite an earlier concern from law enforcement about the teen.

Colt Gray had been questioned by law enforcement in May 2023 regarding “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time,” according to a joint statement from FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The online threats included photographs of guns, according to the statement.

The teen and his father were interviewed by the county sheriff’s office, and Colt Gray denied making the threats online, the statement said. Jackson County alerted local schools to continue monitoring the issue, but law enforcement did not have probable cause to arrest or take other actions, according to the statement.

In video of the police interview, Colin Gray told officers that he had guns in the house and his son had access to them.

“We do a lot of shooting. We do a lot of deer hunting. He shot his first deer this year,” he said. “I’m trying to teach him about firearms and safety and how to do it all and get him interested in the outdoors.”

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CNN’s Devon M. Sayers contributed to this report.