The FBI has confirmed that the suspected gunman who shot and killed two students and two teachers and wounded nine others at a Georgia high school on Wednesday has been on its radar as a potential threat since last year.

In a joint statement, the FBI’s Atlanta office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said the agency’s National Threat Operations Center received an anonymous tip about threats posted online regarding a possible school shooting in May 2023.

According to the authorities, the threats contained images of weapons.

Within 24 hours of receiving the anonymous tip, investigators determined the threats originated in Georgia and the case was referred to the sheriff’s office.

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A police officer works at the scene of a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on Wednesday. (Reuters/Elijah Nouvelage)

“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office located a possible victim, a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father,” the FBI said. “The father stated he had shotguns in his home, but the victim did not have unescorted access to them.”

According to authorities, the boy denied making the threats and local schools were alerted to monitor the child.

“At that time, there was no probable cause for an arrest or to take additional law enforcement action at the local, state, or federal level,” the FBI said.

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Police gather outside Apalachee High School following a shooting at the school Wednesday in Winder, Georgia. (AP photo/Mike Stewart)

On Wednesday, authorities identified Colt Gray, now 14, as the gunman who shot and killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Gray surrendered to authorities and was captured after the rampage.

“As a follow-up to the joint statement just released, the individual identified as the 13-year-old is the same individual in custody in connection with today’s shooting at Apalachee High School,” the FBI said.

He is expected to be charged as an adult with murder, authorities said.

Investigators are still trying to determine if anyone specifically was targeted, but they are not aware of any known connection between Gray and the victims.

Authorities “looked into every aspect of that individual, his connection here at the school,” said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Gray was 13 years old in May 2023 when the FBI reported the threat to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The family lived in Jackson County at the time and has since relocated to Barrow County, Georgia, according to an FBI source.

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Police vehicles are seen outside Apalachee High School after a shooting that left an unknown number injured and a suspect arrested in Winder, Georgia on Wednesday. (AP photo/Mike Stewart)

Georgian authorities have not released the identities of the dead and injured victims of the attack. Apalachee High School Shootingbut a woman came forward and said her father had been shot.

In a public post on Facebook on Wednesday, a woman named Katie Phenix explained that her father, David Phenix, had been shot at school.

“We are so grateful for all the texts, calls and messages regarding my father, David Phenix,” the daughter wrote. “There was a shooting at Apalachee High School this morning and my father was shot in the foot and hip shattering his hip bone.”

“He arrived at the hospital alert and awake. He had just received out of the operating room and stable,” she added. “We will update as we hear new information. We are so, so happy, but please keep our family and the AHS family in your prayers.”

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The Barrow County School System will close all schools for the remainder of the week, according to Dallas LeDuff, the county’s schools superintendent.

LeDuff said that the schools will be closed while the district is “fully cooperating with law enforcement” and that grief counseling would be available.

The FBI and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Louis Casiano and Andrea Margolis of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.