The father of the Georgia school shooting suspect has been arrested and charged, authorities say

Holly Yan, Isabel Rosales, Mark Morales and Ryan Young, CNN

(CNN) — The begetter of nan Apalachee High School shooting fishy has been arrested successful relationship pinch nan shooting that near 4 group dead, according to nan Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Colin Gray, 54, has been charged pinch 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter, 2 counts of second-degree execution and 8 counts of cruelty to children, nan GBI said Thursday.

His son, Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student, is accused of sidesplitting 2 students and 2 teachers pinch an AR-style firearm successful nan Wednesday shooting. Seven different group – six students and a coach – were injured by being shot, and 2 different students suffered different injuries, authorities say.

The teen has been charged pinch 4 counts of felony murder, according to charging documents obtained by CNN. He is expected to beryllium tried arsenic an adult, nan GBI and Barrow County sheriff person said.

The charges against Colin Gray stem from him “knowingly allowing” his boy to person a weapon, GBI Director Chris Hosey said astatine a news convention Thursday.

CNN is moving to find whether Colin Gray has ineligible representation. When reached by telephone connected Thursday, nan Barrow County Public Defender’s Office could not corroborate if they were representing him and had nary comment. CNN has made respective attempts to scope Colin Gray by telephone and successful personification astatine nan family home.

Colin Gray told investigators this week he had purchased nan weapon utilized successful nan killings arsenic a vacation coming for his boy successful December 2023, according to 2 rule enforcement sources pinch nonstop knowledge of nan investigation.

One root told CNN nan AR-15-style firearm was purchased astatine a section weapon shop arsenic a Christmas present. The timeline nan teen’s begetter provided to authorities would put nan weapon acquisition months aft authorities first contacted Gray and his family to analyse schoolhouse shooting threats made online.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office successful Georgia closed that investigation because nan extremity astir nan threat could not beryllium substantiated.

Wednesday’s wide shooting, which happened conscionable weeks into nan caller schoolhouse year, was nan 45th schoolhouse shooting truthful acold this twelvemonth and nan deadliest US schoolhouse shooting since nan March 2023 massacre astatine The Covenant School successful Nashville that near six group dead.

Live updates: The latest connected nan Georgia precocious schoolhouse shooting

The 9 injured survivors are expected to make a afloat recovery, authorities said Thursday.

While different organization grieves different senseless schoolhouse shooting, investigators are revealing much specifications astir nan case. Here’s what we know:

How ‘everybody’s worst nightmare’ unfolded

The teen fishy near his Algebra 1 people astir 9:45 a.m., his classmate Lyela Sayarath told CNN.

The schoolroom doors fastener automatically, and adjacent nan extremity of class, nan fishy knocked connected nan doorway to effort to travel backmost in, Lyela said.

Another student went to unfastened nan doorway but apparently saw nan weapon and refused to fto him in, Lyela said. That diversion whitethorn person saved her life.

“I deliberation he wanted to travel to america first,” Lyela said.

Instead, nan shooter turned to a adjacent schoolroom and opened fire, “and you perceive astir 10 to 15 rounds back-to-back,” Lyela said.

The first study of an progressive shooter came successful astir 10:20 a.m. Two schoolhouse assets officers and different rule enforcement quickly arrived, Hosey said.

“I heard gunshots extracurricular my schoolroom and group screaming, group begging not to get shot,” said 14-year-old student Macey Right.

“And past group sitting beside maine (were) conscionable shaking and crying.”

One of nan schoolhouse assets officers confronted nan shooter, who surrendered and was taken into custody, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.

The suspect, Colt Gray, is being held Thursday astatine Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Centers, nan Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice told CNN. He will make his first tribunal quality Friday, section spokesperson Glenn Allen said.

Colt Gray is continuing to cooperate pinch investigators, Smith told CNN connected Thursday. The fishy told investigators “I did it” while being questioned and was “still talking” aft being publication his Miranda rights, according to Smith.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called nan wide shooting “everybody’s worst nightmare” – but it’s a nightmare shared by galore Americans crossed nan country.

So acold this year, nan United States has suffered astatine slightest 385 wide shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines wide shootings arsenic those successful which 4 aliases much victims are shot. That’s an mean of much than 1.5 wide shootings each day.

Beloved teachers and students were killed

Two 14-year-old students, Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, went to schoolhouse and ne'er came home.

The shooter besides killed 53-year-old mathematics coach Cristina Irimie and 39-year-old mathematics coach and adjunct shot coach Richard Aspinwall.

“We are genuinely heartbroken,” Christian’s older sister Lisette Angulo posted connected a GoFundMe page to support nan family. “He was a very bully kid and very saccharine and truthful caring. He was truthful loved by many.”

Another verified GoFundMe page was established to thief nan family of Aspinwall, a beloved shot coach.

“To our beloved protect coordinator Ricky Aspinwall, we will transportation you dense successful our hearts. We emotion you Coach A!!!” Apalachee Football posted connected X Thursday.

Apalachee’s location shot crippled Friday has been canceled, nan team’s force posted connected Facebook.

Irimie, who was progressive successful her section Romanian organization and church, is being remembered arsenic “a hero,” said Father Nicolae Clempus, pastor astatine St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church successful Dacula, Georgia.

“We are very sorry that we mislaid a bully soul,” Clempus told CNN.

David Phenix, 1 of nan injured teachers who was changeable successful nan ft and hip, was instantly concerned astir his students and colleagues erstwhile he woke up from surgery, his girl said successful a Facebook station connected Wednesday.

“After waking up, immoderate of nan first words retired of his rima were, ‘Is everyone other okay?’” Katie Phenix wrote.

On Thursday, she shared that her begetter will stay successful nan intensive attraction portion for astatine slightest different day. “There’s a beautiful agelong betterment period, but things are lookin’ good,” she said.

It was not instantly clear whether nan slayer knew aliases specifically targeted his victims, nan sheriff said.

Wednesday was Gray’s 2nd time astatine nan school, Smith told CNN. On Tuesday, Gray had near people early to spell to nan counselors’ agency because he was having anxiety, nan sheriff added.

Staff alerted constabulary done their ID cards

“The protocols successful this schoolhouse and this strategy activated coming prevented this from being a overmuch larger calamity than what we had,” Hosey said.

One of those protocols included a information measurement adopted conscionable 1 week ago.

“All of our teachers are equipped pinch a shape of an ID called Centegix,” Smith said Wednesday night. Centegix alerts rule enforcement “after buttons are pressed connected an ID and it alerts america that location is an progressive business astatine nan schoolhouse for immoderate logic and that was pressed.”

Centegix’s website says the instrumentality has “dynamic integer mapping, real-time locating capabilities, an easy-to-use wearable panic fastener for schoolhouse and territory staff, a schoolhouse visitant guidance system, and safe reunification capabilities alteration educators to scheme for and respond faster to emergencies.”

Several states, including Georgia, person introduced authorities for panic siren systems, CNN has reported.

The teen fishy had an AR-style rifle, authorities say

Colt Gray will stay successful nan custody of nan Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice until his 17th day – moreover though his lawsuit has been moved to nan big system, Allen, nan agency spokesperson, told CNN connected Thursday.

Under Georgia law, if a juvenile aged 13 to 17 commits a superior crime, they are automatically tried arsenic an adult.

Authorities person not fixed immoderate accusation astir really nan limb aliases ammunition were obtained. But investigators person spoken to nan fishy and person been successful touch pinch his family, Smith said.

It’s besides not clear erstwhile and really nan fishy brought nan firearm to school.

“We’re still trying to explain a batch of nan timeline, from nan clip that he sewage present to schoolhouse (Wednesday) until nan incident,” Hosey said.

The fishy was antecedently questioned complete an online threat to ‘shoot up a mediate school’

Colt Gray was questioned by rule enforcement past twelvemonth aft anonymous tips 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.

Jackson County borders Barrow County, wherever Wednesday’s wide shooting took place.

In May 2023, nan Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a extremity from nan FBI astir a threat connected nan chat level Discord to “shoot up a mediate schoolhouse tomorrow,” according to an investigation study obtained done a nationalist records request

The FBI extremity referenced a Discord relationship created nan erstwhile period pinch an email reside that nan bureau had associated pinch Gray. The extremity included photograph attachments pinch a floor plan sanction successful Russian that translated to nan sanction of nan gunman who killed 26 group astatine Sandy Hook Elementary School successful 2012.

Investigators wrote that they interviewed Colt and his begetter astatine their then-home successful Jefferson – astir 13 miles northeast of Winder, nan tract of Wednesday’s shooting.

Colt, who was 13 during nan interview, said “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,” Jackson County sheriff’s interrogator Daniel Miller Jr. wrote.

Colin Gray told investigators he had hunting rifles successful nan location and said, “Colt is allowed to usage them erstwhile supervised but does not person unfettered entree to them,” nan study said.

“Colt assured maine that he ne'er made immoderate threats to sprout up immoderate school,” Miller wrote. “I urged Colin to support his firearms locked away, and advised him to support Colt retired of schoolhouse until this matter could beryllium resolved.”

Another interrogator wrote that nan lawsuit would beryllium closed because “the allegation that Colt aliases Colin is nan personification down nan Discord relationship that made nan threat cannot beryllium substantiated.”

At nan time, “there was nary probable origin for apprehension aliases to return immoderate further rule enforcement action connected nan local, state, aliases national levels,” nan FBI successful Atlanta and nan Jackson County sheriff said successful their associated statement.

Investigators probe threat against 5 schools

Before bullets flew done Apalachee High, nan schoolhouse had received a telephone threat earlier that morning, aggregate rule enforcement officials told CNN.

The telephone telephone warned location would beryllium shootings astatine 5 schools, and that Apalachee would beryllium nan first. But it’s unclear who placed that call.

Investigators person not recovered immoderate grounds of different schools being targeted but are pursuing “any leads of immoderate imaginable associates of nan shooter that was progressive successful this incident,” Hosey said.

The alleged telephone threat astir 5 schools raises questions astir whether nan caller wanted to divert constabulary to different locations anterior to an attack, said John Miller, CNN’s main rule enforcement and intelligence analyst.

“That threat – arsenic we were told – was that location were going to beryllium shootings astatine 5 schools, which would person divided constabulary resources evenly betwixt aggregate locations,” Miller said.

Threats made astatine various schools crossed Georgia connected Thursday person resulted successful arrests, according to Hosey. It is unclear if those arrests were related to nan 5 schools mentioned antecedently by officials.

‘I really don’t want to spell back’

Barrow County schools will beryllium closed nan remainder of this week arsenic nan district’s 15,000 students process nan calamity that unfolded conscionable 1 period into nan schoolhouse year.

Some Apalachee High students opportunity they interest astir going backmost to class.

“I want to spell to schoolhouse worrying astir what my GPA is going to beryllium erstwhile my twelvemonth is complete and worrying astir my career,” Macey said.

“I really don’t want to spell back. I consciousness for illustration I shouldn’t person to spell backmost to schoolhouse worrying astir dying.”