Apalachee High School Shooting: Was The Suspect Previously Interviewed By Investigators?

Apalachee High School shooting incident is taking new turns. New information is emerging about the 14-year-old student accused of killing four people and injuring nine others in a shooting at Apalachee High School in northern Georgia on Wednesday.

This includes details from interviews conducted with the suspect last year. As more facts about the suspect, Colt Gray, come to light, officials are continuing to investigate how the teenager acquired the firearm used in the attack and the circumstances leading up to the shooting.

CBS News has reported that police and federal agents are examining whether the gun used in the shooting was bought by the teen’s father as a gift for him in 2023, according to four federal law enforcement sources familiar with the case.

A search of the suspect’s home after the shooting revealed that he had shown an interest in previous school shootings, as reported by CBS News.

Earlier tips about Apalachee High School shooting threats

Over a year ago, online posts threatening a school shooting led Georgia police to interview a 13-year-old boy, but there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest. Officials stated that on Wednesday, this same boy carried out the attack at his high school in northern Georgia.

The suspect has been charged as an adult with the deaths of Apalachee High School students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, as well as instructors Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, as confirmed by Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey during a news conference.

Read More: Georgia High School Shooting: Suspect Charged With Four Felony Murder Counts

At least nine other individuals—eight students and one teacher from the school in Winder, about an hour’s drive northeast of Atlanta—were hospitalized with injuries. By late Thursday, at least seven of these patients had been treated and released, while at least one other remained hospitalized in stable condition, according to hospital officials.

Apalachee High School shooting currently being held at Detention Center

The suspect is currently being held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, as reported by Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice spokesperson Glenn Allen on Thursday.

The FBI had previously received anonymous tips in May 2023 regarding online threats of an unspecified school shooting, and the agency conducted an interview with the teen. According to a statement from the FBI, the National Threat Operations Center identified that the posts originated from Georgia, and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office referred the information to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, which is near Barrow County.

The sheriff’s office interviewed the then-13-year-old and his father. The father indicated that while there were hunting guns in the house, the teen did not have unsupervised access to them. The teen also denied making any online threats.

“Reserved” and “calm” guy

Reports from the sheriff’s office released on Thursday revealed that the threats were made using an account on the online chatting app Discord. The account’s profile name was in Russian and translated to the last name of the shooter involved in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School attack, according to the sheriff’s office.

The teen reportedly told investigators that he deleted the Discord account because it had been repeatedly hacked, according to the sheriff’s office reports.

Local police records described him as “reserved” and “calm” during the interview with Jackson County sheriff’s deputies.

These records also indicate that Gray’s parents were undergoing a contentious divorce at the time, with his mother gaining custody of two other children while the suspect remained with his father.

Troubling trend of school shootings in U.S

This shooting is part of a troubling trend of school shootings in the U.S. in recent years, including notably deadly incidents in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas. These tragedies have sparked intense debates about gun control and heightened concerns among parents whose children are now accustomed to active shooter drills in classrooms. However, they have had limited impact on national gun legislation.

Before Wednesday, there had been 29 mass killings in the U.S. so far this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in collaboration with Northeastern University. These incidents, defined as events where four or more people are killed within a 24-hour period excluding the perpetrator, resulted in at least 127 deaths.

Also Read: Georgia School Shooting Suspect’s Father Told Investigators He Purchased Gun As Holiday Present For Son