Apalachee shooting: Suspect, father make first court appearance

WINDER, Ga. — The 14-year-old accused of fatally shooting two teachers and two students this week at Apalachee High School and his father made their first appearances in court Friday.

Shackled at the hands and waist, a bleached-blond Colt Gray was the first to appear before Chief Judge Currie Mingledorff at 8:30 a.m. The Barrow County courtroom full of deputies, news reporters and other members of the community. His father, Colin Gray, 54, appeared shortly after and was rocking back and forth on his seat while the judge covered procedural information about his charges and the penalties he faces.

When asked, attorneys for father and son said they were not seeking bail at this time.

In Colt Gray’s case, Mingledorff said, “You are charged with four counts of felony murder, as outlined in state warrants that have been issued against you. For each count, the maximum penalty is you can be punishable ... by imprisonment for life without parole or by imprisonment for life with the possibility of parole.”

The judge had initially mentioned death as a possible punishment, but brought the teen back out moments later to correct the record.

Though Colt Gray is being tried as an adult, Mingledorff told him he is not eligible for the death penalty given his age.

Colin Gray faces a maximum punishment of up to 180 years in prison, Mingledorff said.

Preliminary hearings in both cases are set for Dec. 4, but that is subject to change.

Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith and District Attorney Brad Smith were in the courtroom, along with about a dozen sheriff’s deputies who lined the walls during the hearings.

As Mingledorff read Colt Gray’s charges, the teen was responsive to the judge’s procedural questions, affirming that he understood the charges and the potential penalties he faces.

Those seated in the front row appeared somber as a man and woman consoled one another at the far end of the bench.

Colin Gray was arrested Thursday on charges including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, officials said. GBI Director Chris Hosey said the father’s charges are “directly connected with the actions of his son,” who is also accused of injuring nine others when authorities said he opened fire at the Barrow County school with an AR-style rifle.

Colin Gray’s charges “stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” Hosey told reporters Thursday night outside the high school.

Officials declined to elaborate on their decision to charge Colin Gray, citing the ongoing investigation.

According to Georgia law, parents or caretakers can be charged with second-degree cruelty to children if investigators can prove criminal negligence. That is, whether an adult was aware or should have been aware of a gun being in the area and did nothing to keep it out of the reach of children. Second-degree murder is added if the negligence results in a death.

It is one of the few legal avenues Georgia prosecutors can use to impose consequences for parents or caregivers who do not securely store their weapons around children, as the state does not have a law requiring the safe storage of firearms.

Those killed were students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and assistant football coach Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and math teacher Christina Irimie, 53.

The deadly school shooting stunned the school’s tight-knit community. On Thursday, hundreds of distraught students and parents returned to campus to place flowers at the growing memorial outside the school.

Among the mourners was 14-year-old Nicole Cabrera, who was in a nearby classroom Wednesday morning when the gunfire erupted.

“I was in the same hallway,” she said, choking back tears on the front lawn of her high school. “I heard everything.”

She had a fourth-period gym class with Angulo and said she was heartbroken that he and three others were killed.

“He was just a really nice person,” Cabrera said. “None of them deserved what happened to them. It’s so messed up.”

Others lamented the lack of gun restrictions in the U.S. and questioned how a 14-year-old boy was able to access the rifle in the first place.

Shayla Hadziahmetovic, a 2018 graduate of Apalachee High, took part in the nationwide student walkout her senior year after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead.

“We were really rattled to find out this happened at our own school,” she said. “Nothing has changed. Nothing’s happening, nothing is being fixed and students are still in fear ... Nobody should have to go to school like this.”

Those injured in Wednesday’s shooting included eight students and one teacher, according to the GBI. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said all nine are expected to make a full recovery.

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