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The two words Colt Gray muttered during his 11-minute initial court appearance
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The two words Colt Gray muttered during his 11-minute initial court appearance

Colt Gray, the alleged shooter at Apalachee High School, mumbled only two words during his arraignment in a Georgia courtroom on Friday.

Gray, 14, is the alleged gunman who opened fire at the Georgia school on Wednesday, killing students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. Eight other students and one teacher were wounded and are expected to make a full recovery.

At 8:30 a.m. Friday, Gray entered the Barrow County courtroom dressed in dark green jail garb, his shoulder-length, orange-blond hair shielding his face from the courtroom cameras. He has been charged with four counts of murder and is expected to be tried as an adult.

Colt Gray Georgia shooter on trial
Colt Gray, who was charged as an adult with four counts of murder, sits in the Barrow County Courthouse during his initial appearance for the Wednesday, September 6, shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA.

AP photo

Gray answered “Yes, sir” to the judge’s preliminary questions during the 11-minute trial, including that he can read and write English. Emotional adults filled the courtroom. One woman held a stuffed Mickey Mouse toy while another held a handkerchief. A man was shown with his head hung in grief as he prepared to begin the hearing.

His father, Colin Gray, 54, also appeared in court Friday. Colin Gray allegedly told investigators he bought an AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas present for Colin in December 2023. Colin Gray was also arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children.

Colt Gray Georgia shooter on trial
Colt Gray leaves the Barrow County Courthouse after his initial appearance for the Wednesday, September 6, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA.

AP photo

Colin Gray wore a gray-and-white striped prison uniform and told the court he had completed 11th grade and had received his GED. If convicted of all his crimes, he could face up to 180 years in prison.

Colin Gray rocked back and forth in his chair as the judge scheduled his first court appearance for December 4 at 8:30 a.m.

colin grey
Colin Gray, 54, also appeared in court Friday. Colin Gray allegedly told investigators he bought Colin an AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas present in December 2023.

Barrow County Sheriff’s Office

In May 2023, the FBI spoke to Colin and Colt Gray after receiving tips that Colt had allegedly made Discord threats to shoot up a high school. In a police report obtained by NewsweekColin Gray stated that his son had problems at West Jackson Middle School in Hoschton, Georgia, and that he went to Jefferson Middle School, about 17 minutes away, where things were better.

Colin Gray said he had shotguns in his home but wasn’t allowed to use them unsupervised. Officials also spoke to Colt, who appeared “calm and reserved.” The then-13-year-old said he had a Discord account but deleted it before moving in with his father because it kept getting hacked. Discord is a platform for hosting real-time text, video, and voice chat, often used by gamers and streamers.

Colt claimed that someone had accused him of shooting up a school, but he would never say such a thing, even as a joke.

FBI tips include an email address for Colt Gray linked to the Discord account in question. IP addresses from around the time the family was evicted show the Discord account was used in Fort Valley or Statesboro, Georgia, and possibly Buffalo, NY.

Apalachee High School, Georgia
Students at Apalachee High School after the shooting

Mike Stewart/Associated Press

The user profile name of the Discord account associated with Colt Gray was written in Russian, officials said. Translated into English, the name is “Lanza,” which reportedly refers to Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza. Colin Gray told officials that his son does not know or speak Russian. Investigators determined that the claim that Colin Gray or Colt Gray was behind the Discord account could not be substantiated.

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