The father of the suspected shooter who killed four people and injured nine others at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday told police last year his son was bullied by classmates who called him gay.
Colin Gray made the claims about his son Colt Gray when he was interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff's office after the FBI received a tip his son had threatened a shooting at his middle school, the Daily Mail reported Friday.
"It was very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on," Colin Gray told an investigator, according to a transcript of the conversation obtained by the Daily Mail. "It went from one thing to another ... I was trying to get him on the golf team ... [they were like] Oh, look, Colt's gay. He's dating that guy. Just ridiculed him day after day after day."
Colt Gray, 14, who made his initial court appearance Friday, was charged as an adult and faces four counts of felony murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole but is not eligible for the death penalty because of his age.
Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said Colt Gray could face additional charges after the grand jury's next meeting Oct. 17, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.
Colin Gray, 54, who appeared in court after his son, faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. If convicted, he faces up to 180 years in prison. His charges stem from knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon, the Journal-Constitution reported. A preliminary hearing for both cases has been set for Dec. 4 but an arraignment date has not been set.
Colin Gray reportedly told police this week he purchased the weapon used in the shooting as a Christmas present for his son last year, according to authorities.
Colt Gray was interviewed last year after the sheriff received a tip from the FBI that he "had possibly threatened to shoot up a middle school tomorrow," the Daily Mail reported. The threat was made on Discord, a social media platform popular with video gamers, according to the sheriff's office incident report.
The post read: "im committing a mass shooting and im waiting a good 2-3 years ... I cant kill myself yet, cause I'm not contributing anything to culture I need to go out knowing I did." The poster added, "I'm ready," above a photograph of two guns.
The post referenced the Sandy Hook school shooting and expressed frustration with the acceptance of transgender people, CNN reported.
Speaking to police in May 2023, Colin Gray said he recently separated from his son's mother, and that "she took his younger two" children, leaving him to care for Colt, who he said was struggling at Jefferson Middle School, the Daily Mail reported.
Colin Gray said was trying to teach his son about weapons and get him interested in the outdoors in order to "get him away from those video games." He showed the officer a picture of his son with blood smeared on his face and said it was from when the teen shot his first deer, which the father described as the "best day ever," according to the Daily Mail.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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