Father of 14-year-old accused gunman arrested in connection to Apalachee High School shooting: GBI

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The father of the accused gunman, Colt Gray, has been arrested in connection to the Apalachee High School shooting, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 

Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the GBI said. 

Colt Gray is accused of opening fire and killing four people -- two students and two teachers -- on Wednesday at Apalachee High School. Nine other people were hospitalized due to injuries from the gunfire. They are all expected to survive, according to authorities.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the teen was a student at Apalachee High School.

In an update, the GBI said Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting. The GBI said additional charges are expected.

He is alive and in custody, the GBI said in a post on X. Two of the people killed were students, while the other two were teachers. It's unclear what his motive was at this time. The victims killed were identified late Wednesday night.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that Gray was actually investigated in 2023 by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office after Gray allegedly posted online threats containing photos of guns in a threat to commit a school shooting. The time and location were unknown.

More on the tragedy

Law enforcement responded to reports of an active shooter at 10:23 a.m., according to a release from the Barrow County Sheriff's Office. The situation unfolded rapidly, with multiple agencies arriving on the scene to manage the emergency and begin the investigation.

Authorities have confirmed that a 14-year-old suspect is in custody. The Barrow County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident to gather more details about the suspect and their possible motives.

"First and foremost, we wanna lift up our community, give our sympathies to our community, school system, kids, parents, that had to witness this today," Sheriff Jud Smith said. "Obviously, what you see behind us is an evil thing today."

Apalachee High School is located on Haymon Morris Road, just outside the city limits of Winder in Barrow County, Georgia. The school is part of the Barrow County School District, which also includes nearby schools such as Haymon Morris Middle School, Yargo Elementary School, and Cadence Academy Preschool.

The victims of the shooting are:

To find out more about each, visit the link below:

Gray was 13 years old at the time. At the time, the father said that though he had hunting guns in the house, his son did not have "unsupervised access" to them. The boy also denied making the online threats.

He has a bond hearing set for Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the Barrow County Courthouse.