Georgia school shooter’s father takes the stand in his own defense

By Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — Colin Gray, the father of teenage Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, took the stand Friday to testify at his trial on charges of murder and manslaughter.

Over about two weeks, the prosecution presented evidence seeking to show Colin Gray bought his teenage son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift and allowed him unsecured access to the weapon despite warnings that his son was a danger to others, actions that constitute criminally reckless conduct.

However, his defense attorney said in opening statements Gray was unaware his son was planning the shooting and had taken steps to try to get him help.

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

Colin Gray’s trial is part of a broader push to hold more people accountable for a school shooting, including the shooter’s parents and responding law enforcement officers. This case bears close 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.

Colt Gray, then 14, brought that AR-15-style rifle to Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, and opened fire on September 4, 2024. Four people were killed and nine were injured, before the teen surrendered to police.

The teen has admitted to the shooting, according to authorities. Now 16, he has pleaded not guilty to 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder. A trial date has not been set.

Earlier this week, jurors heard two lengthy police interrogations of Colin Gray after the shooting. The father told an investigator he bought Colt the rifle in an attempt to get him away from video games and introduce him to deer hunting. He also acknowledged the teen’s behavior had escalated and become more aggressive in the previous five to seven months, and that he had signed paperwork with the school to get him into counseling.

“You have to believe me when I say that I never, ever in a thousand years thought this could happen,” Colin Gray said in one police interview.

The defense sought to use the recording to humanize Colin Gray as a working father trying to care for his three children while helping his wife recover from drug and alcohol addiction.

The state rested its case Thursday after about two weeks, including emotional testimony from students and teachers who survived the shooting, police interviews with Colin Gray, photos showing unsecured firearms and ammo in the home and testimony from the teen’s mother, grandmother and sister about their unsettled family life.

Marcee Gray, the defendant’s estranged wife, testified Colt Gray was riddled with anxiety, easily agitated and had a panic attack. She said it was “very obvious” he needed professional help, but Colin Gray “just didn’t want to deal with it.”

During the state’s final witness, prosecutors played for the court surveillance video showing Colt Gray’s movements in school before, during and after the shooting. The video, parts of which were not shown to the public, left Colin Gray in tears at the defendant’s table.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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