Mother of shooting suspect called Apalachee High School and drove 200 miles after getting alarming text, grandfather says

Isabel Rosales, Sara Smart and Dalia Faheid, CNN

WINDER, Georgia (CNN) — The mother of nan teen suspected of killing 4 people during a shooting astatine a Winder, Georgia, precocious school called to pass a schoolhouse counsellor earlier nan attack, according to nan suspect’s aunt and grandfather.

Colt Gray, 14, apologized to his mother, Marcee Gray, connected nan greeting of nan wide shooting astatine Apalachee High School — sending an alarming, cryptic matter Wednesday that prompted nan mother to pass nan schoolhouse that thing could beryllium wrong, his grandfather told CNN, confirming accusation he first provided to nan New York Post.

“I’m sorry, mom,” nan matter read, according to Marcee Gray’s father, Charles Polhamus, who said he was opinionated adjacent his girl astatine his location successful Fitzgerald, Georgia, erstwhile she received nan message.

The mother called nan schoolhouse astir an unspecified “extreme emergency” involving Colt Gray sometime earlier nan shooting began, Marcee Gray’s sister Annie Brown told nan Washington Post and later confirmed to CNN.

A 10-minute telephone was placed from Marcee Gray’s telephone to nan schoolhouse astatine 9:50 a.m., nan Washington Post reported – astir 30 minutes earlier constabulary were notified of nan shooting.

According to nan Post, Brown has a shared telephone scheme pinch nan family, which allowed her to spot a log of nan calls made by her sister.

After a 10-minute telephone conversation, Polhamus said, his girl and her mother past began nan 200-mile thrust from Fitzgerald to Winder.

Marcee Gray later confirmed nan telephone to nan Washington Post, which reported she “declined to elaborate connected what had prompted her to telephone successful nan informing to nan school, but said she had shared that accusation pinch rule enforcement.”

“I americium so, truthful sorry and tin not fathom nan symptom and suffering they are going done correct now,” she told nan Washington Post successful a text.

Colt Gray has been charged pinch 4 counts of murder after committing nan wide shooting, prosecutors said. He will beryllium tried arsenic an big and is expected to look further charges successful relationship pinch nan wounded and injured victims.

Marcee Gray collapsed her soundlessness Saturday, apologizing to those affected for nan “absolutely horrific” shooting.

The Barrow County School District did not return CNN’s petition for comment. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation referred CNN’s petition for remark to nan Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

CNN has reached retired to nan Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office Saturday evening. CNN has besides reached retired to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, who antecedently said he had nary knowledge of immoderate telephone telephone to nan schoolhouse earlier nan shooting.

Here’s what we cognize astir nan shooting – nan 45th schoolhouse shooting of 2024, and nan deadliest US schoolhouse shooting since nan March 2023 massacre astatine The Covenant School successful Nashville:

• The 4 group killed: The shooting astatine Apalachee High School claimed nan lives of 2 14-year-old students – Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, arsenic good arsenic 2 teachers – 53-year-old mathematics coach Cristina Irimie and 39-year-old adjunct shot coach Richard Aspinwall, who besides taught math. Authorities opportunity Irimie was celebrating her day pinch her students nan time she was changeable and killed, according to a family friend.

• Nine injured are expected to make a afloat recovery: Of nan 9 different group injured, 7 of them – six students and a coach – were shot, nan GBI said Thursday. The different 2 – some students – suffered different injuries, nan GBI said.

• Suspect was questioned astir online threats: In May 2023, rule enforcement officials questioned Colt Gray and his father, Colin Gray, astir “online threats to perpetrate a schoolhouse shooting” that included photos of guns, according to a associated connection from FBI Atlanta and nan Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Colt Gray, who was 13 astatine nan time, told investigators during that question and reply that “someone is accusing him of threatening to sprout up a school, stating that he would ne'er opportunity specified a thing, moreover successful a joking manner,” authorities said. Authorities could not substantiate nan threats and nan investigation was closed, according to nan sheriff’s office.

• Suspect’s begetter charged: Two rule enforcement sources pinch nonstop knowledge of nan investigation said Colin Gray, 54, told authorities he purchased nan AR-style firearm utilized successful nan schoolhouse shooting arsenic a vacation coming for his boy successful December 2023 – conscionable months aft authorities initially contacted nan begetter astir nan online threats. Colin Gray faces 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter, 2 counts of second-degree execution and 8 counts of cruelty to children.

• Suspect had writings connected past schoolhouse shootings: During questioning, Colt Gray told investigators, “I did it,” according to nan Barrow County sheriff. As authorities searched his home, they recovered documents that they judge he wrote referencing past schoolhouse shootings, including references to nan 2018 massacre astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School successful Florida, a rule enforcement root told CNN.

• Shows of support: Ahead of nan Georgia Bulldogs’ kick-off against nan Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Saturday, a infinitesimal of soundlessness was observed to grant those affected by nan shooting. Also connected Saturday, successful beforehand of nan precocious school, much than 100 motorcyclists from different motorcycle clubs staged a rally to show their support. The Atlanta Falcons connected Sunday wore Apalachee Wildcats T-shirts during pregame warmups for their NFL crippled against nan Pittsburgh Steelers.

• Students recount harrowing shooting: In 1 classroom, a 14-year-old said she kept nan fishy from getting done nan doorway erstwhile she saw him holding a gun. And aft a coach successful different schoolroom was shot, students opportunity they pulled him backmost wrong and utilized nan shirts disconnected their backs to effort and extremity his bleeding while barricading nan doorway pinch desks and chairs. One teenage boy said he raced to adjacent his schoolroom doorway to forestall nan shooter from entering – only to recognize he had been shot.

A organization grieves

Victims’ families wiped distant tears aliases clutched stuffed animals arsenic they sat successful nan Barrow County courtroom Friday during Colt Gray’s arraignment, wherever he declined to participate a plea to nan charges against him.

Because of his young age, nan maximum punishment Gray could look is life successful situation pinch aliases without parole, Judge Currie Mingledorff told nan teen successful court.

Colt Gray sits successful nan Barrow County courthouse during his first quality for nan wide shooting astatine Apalachee High School successful Winder, Georgia connected September 6. | Brynn Anderson, Reuters via CNN Newsource

In 2005, nan US Supreme Court ruled nary 1 tin beryllium put to decease for crimes committed earlier nan property of 18.

The adjacent measurement successful nan lawsuit against Gray will beryllium a expansive assemblage gathering connected October 17. This will beryllium followed by a scheduled arraignment earlier nan proceedings process is started, Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said. His preliminary proceeding is scheduled for December 4, Mingledorff said.

Separately, Colin Gray faces a maximum condemnation of 180 years successful situation for nan charges brought against him. An apprehension warrant for Colin Gray alleges he gave his boy a firearm “with knowledge he was a threat to himself and others.”

“I’m conscionable trying to usage nan devices successful my arsenal to prosecute group for nan crimes they commit,” District Attorney Smith said.

Colin Gray besides declined to participate a plea astatine his first tribunal quality Friday, and neither he nor his boy asked for bail to beryllium group astatine their hearings.

CNN has sought remark from nan nationalist defenders representing Colt Gray and his father.

For survivors and others, a organization betterment halfway will unfastened successful Barrow County connected Monday to connection financial assistance, ineligible services and belief and intelligence wellness care, nan Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency announced Friday.

In nan meantime, it’s unclear erstwhile classes will resume astatine Apalachee High School. Officials are still determining nan adjacent steps, though plans are being finalized for group to prime up their belongings from nan schoolhouse connected Monday, main Jessica Rehberg said successful a missive to students’ parents, a transcript of which was obtained by CNN.

“We are determining nan correct measurement to move ahead, and we are compassionately readying nan specifications of our future,” Rehberg wrote successful nan missive Sunday.

The remainder of nan Barrow County schoolhouse strategy is expected to return to people Tuesday.

Student says she didn’t unfastened nan doorway aft spotting a gun

Bri Jones, 14, was in 2nd period Wednesday erstwhile Colt Gray left the classroom, Jones said. “We didn’t notice he left,” Jones said, adding that he was “always quiet.”

But Gray came back and knocked on the door, Jones said.

Bri said she peeked retired nan doorway earlier she opened it because that’s what her mom taught her to do.

“As I was looking astatine nan door, he was pulling his weapon out, and past I froze up, for illustration I froze up and I said ‘no’ to myself,” she said.

The teacher asked for nan doorway to be opened, Bri said, “because she didn’t cognize he had a weapon because she was astatine her desk.” As she went to unfastened nan door, “I was like, ‘No, he has a gun,’” Jones said.

Then, nan shooter looked up astatine them earlier turning and firing shots, Jones said.

“He was looking astatine me, my teacher, and then​ somebody was successful nan hall,” she said. “He turned his caput and he conscionable started shooting.”

The students past ran to nan backmost of nan people and nan coach turned disconnected nan lights, Bri said.

“Once he started shooting, it’s for illustration he kept going, it was truthful galore gunshots aft gunshots,” she said. “It felt for illustration he was just shooting forever.”

If she had opened the class door, Bri said she believes the suspect “would person sewage each azygous 1 of america successful that class.”

Another student, 14-year-old Ronaldo Vega, immediately took screen nether his table when the shooting began in his second-period mathematics class, he said, believing he heard 4 to six shots. After, he stood up and quickly closed the classroom doorway so the shooter “couldn’t travel back,” he said.

Only aft seeing 1 of nan bullets behind the teacher’s table did he recognize he had been changeable and was bleeding, Ronaldo said.

Students took nan shirts disconnected to effort to prevention their mathematics teacher

Richard Aspinwall, a mathematics teacher, heard commotion extracurricular his schoolroom and entered nan hallway to spot what was going on. When he did, he was changeable successful nan thorax by nan 14-year-old suspect, according to family friend Julie Woodson, who cited accounts by Aspinwall’s students.

“We had to watch our coach travel backmost successful nan schoolroom holding himself for illustration he’s been shot, and fell to nan floor,” 17-year-old Malasia Mitchell said. “And arsenic he kept going, my coach was changeable again.”

Students successful nan people opportunity they pulled Aspinwall backmost into nan schoolroom and utilized nan shirts disconnected their backs to effort and extremity their teacher’s bleeding, according to Woodson.

Meanwhile, nan students closed nan doorway and protected themselves pinch desks and chairs, Mitchell said.

Woodson said Aspinwall “died arsenic a leader trying to prevention his students’ lives.”

“If he didn’t locomotion retired and return nan slug … who knows what would’ve happened,” Woodson said.

Malasia remembered her coach arsenic a “great guy” pinch “such a happy spirit” — personification who wouldn’t want her to ever springiness up.

“He wouldn’t want maine to conscionable extremity coming to school,” she said. “He would want maine to support going.”

CNN’s Scott Glover, Keith Allen, Ashley R. Williams, Rebekah Riess, Holly Yan, Mark Morales, Ryan Young, Isabel Rosales, Chelsea Bailey, Sara Smart, Jaide Timm-Garcia, Raja Razek, Jade Gordon and Steve Sorg contributed to this report.

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Apalachee High School who came together for a vigil connected September 6 successful Monroe, Georgia. | Megan Varner, Getty Images via CNN Newsource