FATHER OF US SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH MURDER

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The father of a 14-year-old child accused of killing four people at a high school in Georgia, United States, has been arrested and charged with murder.

Colin Grey, 54, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two of second-degree murder, and eight counts of child maltreatment.

Officials stated on Thursday evening that the allegations were directly related to his son’s activities and “allowing him to possess a weapon.”.

Colt Grey, the son, is accused of killing two instructors and two pupils in the Wednesday shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

He is to appear in court on Friday, accused as an adult with four charges of murder.

Georgia law allows prosecutors to charge adolescents as adults for some crimes beginning at the age of 13.
This means that if convicted, they might face more harsher terms.

Law enforcement officials are looking into whether Colin Grey purchased the AR-style rifle as a gift for his son in December 2023, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

The allegations against the father are regarded to be the most serious brought against a parent in this type of scenario.

In May 2023, the FBI informed local authorities about internet threats regarding a school shooting linked to the suspect’s email account.

A sheriff’s deputy went to interrogate the youngster, who was 13 at the time.

His father told investigators he had guns in the house, but his son did not have unsupervised access to them, according to an FBI statement issued Wednesday.

According to officials, the threats were made on Discord, a social media network popular among video gamers, and included photographs of weaponry.

The account’s profile name was in Russian and translated to the surname of the attacker who killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012.

A police incident report describing last year’s interview with the boy and his father was released on Thursday.

In the report, a deputy described the boy as “reserved” and “calm” and said he “assured me he never made any threats to shoot up any school”.

They said he claimed to have deleted his Discord account because it was repeatedly hacked.

Colin Gray also told police his son was getting picked on at school and had been struggling with his parents’ separation.

Police records reveal that the boy’s mother and father were in the process of divorcing, and he was staying with his father during the split.

The teen often hunted with his father, who told police he had photographed his son with a deer’s blood on his cheeks.

The boy’s maternal grandfather told the New York Times he partly blames the tumultuous home life after Mr Gray’s split from his daughter.

“I understand my grandson did a horrendous thing – there’s no question about it, and he’s going to pay the price for it,” Charlie Polhamus told the newspaper.

“My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in,” he added.

During the news conference on Thursday, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said all nine of those injured were expected to make a full recovery.

Several victims had already left hospital, he said.

Students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, died in the attack.

Witnesses said the suspect left an algebra lesson on Wednesday morning only to return later and try to re-enter the classroom.

Some students went to open the locked door, but apparently saw the weapon and backed away.

Witnesses said they then heard a barrage of 10-15 gunshots. Two school police officers quickly challenged the boy and he immediately surrendered.

These are not the first charges against the parents of a suspect in a school shooting.

In April, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four students with a gun they bought for him just days before the shooting were sentenced for their role in the attack.

James and Jennifer Crumbley were both found guilty of manslaughter and each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.

The case was widely reported to be the first time the parents of a child who had carried out a mass shooting were held criminally liable.