Georgia High School Shooting: 14-Year-Old Charged with Murder To Appear In Court

A tragic school shooting in Georgia has resulted in the death of four individuals and has led to significant legal repercussions for both the teenage shooter and his father.

Court Appearance and Charges

The 14-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, is set to make his first court appearance on Friday. The teenager, identified as Colin Gray, faces four counts of murder and will appear via video from a youth detention facility during the proceedings at Barrow County courthouse. This court session comes just one day after his father, Colin Gray, was arrested for allegedly allowing his son to possess the weapon used in the attack.

Colin Gray, 54, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey stated, “His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon.” Colin Gray’s first court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

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

Victims and Injuries

The shooting at Apalachee High School resulted in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. In addition to the fatalities, nine other individuals were injured, with seven suffering gunshot wounds.

Legal Precedents and Context

This case highlights a growing trend of prosecuting parents for their children’s actions in school shootings. In April, Jennifer and James Crumbley became the first parents in the U.S. to be convicted for their roles in a mass school shooting. They were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for failing to secure a firearm and ignoring signs of their son’s deteriorating mental health before he killed four students in 2021.

Investigation Details

Arrest warrants indicate that Colin Gray used a semiautomatic assault-style rifle in the attack. However, authorities have not yet disclosed how he obtained the firearm or how it was brought into the school. The teen had previously been questioned about a menacing social media post, but the sheriff’s report revealed conflicting evidence about the post’s origin. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum reviewed the report from May 2023 and found no grounds for charges at that time.

Broader Context of School Shootings

The shooting at Apalachee High School is part of a troubling pattern of school shootings in the U.S., following high-profile incidents in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas. This year alone, the U.S. has witnessed its 30th mass killing, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. These events, defined as incidents where four or more people die within a 24-hour period, excluding the killer, have claimed at least 127 lives so far in 2024.