BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The accused gunman who shot and killed four people and injured nine others at Apalachee High School used an AR-15-style rifle to commit the crime, according to warrants.
The warrants accuse 14-year-old student Colt Gray of using a black semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle to kill four people, who authorities have identified as 39-year-old teacher Richard Aspinwall, 53-year-old teacher Cristina Irimie, 14-year-old student Mason Schermerhorn and 14-year-old student Christian Angulo.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting. Additional charges are anticipated as well.
The GBI also said that Colt's father, Colin Gray, has been arrested in connection to the school shooting. The 54-year-old has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. The father is accused of knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that Gray was actually investigated in 2023 by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office after Gray allegedly posted online threats containing photos of guns in a threat to commit a school shooting. The time and location were unknown.
Gray was 13 years old at the time. At the time, the father said that though he had hunting guns in the house, his son did not have "unsupervised access" to them. The boy also denied making the online threats.
He has a bond hearing set for Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the Barrow County Courthouse.
More on the tragedy
Law enforcement responded to reports of an active shooter at 10:23 a.m., according to a release from the Barrow County Sheriff's Office. The situation unfolded rapidly, with multiple agencies arriving on the scene to manage the emergency and begin the investigation.
Authorities have confirmed that a 14-year-old suspect is in custody. The Barrow County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident to gather more details about the suspect and their possible motives.
"First and foremost, we wanna lift up our community, give our sympathies to our community, school system, kids, parents, that had to witness this today," Sheriff Jud Smith said. "Obviously, what you see behind us is an evil thing today."
Apalachee High School is located on Haymon Morris Road, just outside the city limits of Winder in Barrow County, Georgia. The school is part of the Barrow County School District, which also includes nearby schools such as Haymon Morris Middle School, Yargo Elementary School, and Cadence Academy Preschool.
