In a rare legal case, a Georgia judge granted a $500,000 bond on Tuesday for Colin Gray, a father facing charges in connection with a mass shooting allegedly carried out by his 14-year-old son, Colt Gray. The father has pleaded not guilty to 29 charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, in relation to the September 4 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Father and Son Indicted in Deadly School Attack
Both Colin and Colt Gray were indicted following the attack that killed two students and two teachers while injuring several others. Prosecutors argue that the father gifted his son the assault-style rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas present, despite being aware of the boy’s worsening mental health. Investigators say the teenager was obsessed with school shooters and had a shrine above his home computer dedicated to the gunman responsible for the 2018 Parkland, Florida, massacre.
Legal Arguments for and Against Bond
Colin Gray’s defense attorney, Jimmy Berry, argued that pretrial bond is not meant as a form of punishment and that his client should be allowed to await trial outside of jail. The judge ruled that Gray must have no contact with any witnesses and would not be permitted to return to Winder. If he is unable to post the bond, he will remain incarcerated.
Details of the School Shooting
Meanwhile, Colt Gray is being charged as an adult and faces 55 counts, including murder and multiple counts of aggravated assault. Authorities say he smuggled a semiautomatic rifle onto a school bus by concealing it inside a poster board in his book bag. Once inside the school, he left class during the second period, emerged from a bathroom, and opened fire in a classroom and down the hallways.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight students were wounded, with seven of them suffering gunshot injuries.
Parental Accountability in School Shootings
Colin Gray’s indictment marks a rare instance of a parent facing criminal charges following a school shooting. His case follows that of Jennifer and James Crumbley, the Michigan parents sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after their son killed four students in 2021. Prosecutors in that case argued that the parents failed to secure their firearm and ignored their son’s deteriorating mental health. The legal outcome of Gray’s case could further set a precedent for how parents are held accountable when their children commit school shootings.
