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The Georgia high school shooting suspect won't face death penalty, judge says
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Days after a shooting killed four people and injured nine others at a Georgia high school, the 14-year-old suspect and his father appeared in separate court hearings to hear the charges against them.
Each hearing lasted under 10 minutes, and both defendants will remain in custody — in different jails — after their lawyers declined to seek bail.
The teenager, Colt Gray, has been charged as an adult with four counts of felony murder in connection with the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Wednesday, which left two teachers and two students dead.
He appeared Friday morning in Barrow Superior Court, where Piedmont Judicial Circuit Judge Currie Mingledorff II asked him several basic questions before informing him of his rights. Gray, wearing a green shirt and his face obscured by shaggy blond hair, answered with, “Yes, sir.”
Mingledorff then told Gray that the maximum penalty for each count of felony murder is either death or imprisonment for life, with or without parole. But the judge misspoke, and later called Gray back into the room to correct the record: He would not be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, because he’s under 18.
Gray’s lawyer did not request bond, nor did he enter a plea. The judge has set another hearing for Dec. 4, the Associated Press reports.
A while later, Gray’s father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, appeared in court for his own hearing. He was arrested and charged on Thursday with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
“His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon," Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey told reporters Thursday.
The elder Gray, wearing striped jail attire and speaking hoarsely, gave the judge his age and responded when asked that he had finished 11th grade. The judge read him his rights, charges and maximum penalties if convicted, as Gray rocked back and forth in his seat.
Mingledorff said the maximum penalty for each felony murder count is up to 30 years imprisonment, and the maximum penalty for each felony involuntary manslaughter offense is 10 years imprisonment.
The judge said Gray faces a maximum total possible penalty of 180 years imprisonment. His preliminary hearing is also scheduled for Dec. 4.
The investigation continues
The GBI has identified those killed as students Christian Angulo, 14, and Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
The GBI previously said autopsies would be performed on the four victims Thursday.
The nine people wounded in the shooting are all expected to make a full recovery, Barrow County, Ga., Sheriff Jud Smith told reporters Thursday evening.
"And that’s a testament to the response that we had, in my opinion, the response that medical staff had,” Smith said during Thursday's news conference.
Of those injured, eight are students and one is a teacher, the GBI said in an online FAQ. Seven of the nine injured were shot, and tourniquets were used to help the victims.
The suspect was taken into custody at the school.
Investigators have described the gun used in the shooting as an "AR-style platform weapon," but not have publicly determined where the suspect got it. The GBI said Colin Gray "knowingly allowed his son" to possess a gun, but declined to release further details citing the investigation in progress.
The GBI said Thursday that the investigation is "still active & ongoing.”
“This is day 2 of a very complex investigation & the integrity of the case is paramount,” the agency wrote on X. “We ask for the public’s patience as we work to ensure a successful prosecution & justice for the victims."
The FBI had previously investigated the suspected shooter
In a post on X, the FBI said that in May 2023 it received "several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time," and that the threats contained photos of guns.
The FBI said the sheriff's office in nearby Jackson County identified "a possible subject," a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father.
"The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them. The subject denied making the threats online," the FBI said.
The FBI said local schools were alerted to continue monitoring the subject, but that there were no strong grounds for an arrest or additional law enforcement action. The agency confirmed that the teenager was the one who was taken into custody after Wednesday's shooting.
A piece of technology helped with the quick response to the shooting
Smith credited Centegix — an emergency alert technology — for alerting first responders to Wednesday’s shooting.
WABE: Metro Atlanta school districts issue precautions following Apalachee High School shooting
The Atlanta-based company produces a credit card-sized ID that can be worn on a lanyard. The ID has a button that staff can press to immediately alert the school, other staff, and law enforcement about health or safety issues that occur on campus, NPR member station WABE reported.
“It alerts us that there’s an active situation at a school. That was pressed. We’ve had that for about a week now,” Smith told reporters at a news conference Wednesday evening.
Correction
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has corrected the spelling of Cristina Irimie's first name. GBI initially spelled it Christina.
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