Colin Gray, the father of the 14-year-old Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray has been arrested and charged after allegedly gifting his son the AR-15 rifle allegedly used in the shooting for Christmas.
RELATED: 4 Dead, 30 Injured Following Georgia High School Shooting
According to CNN, officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) arrested 54-year-old Colin Gray on Thursday (September 5). He faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
GBI officials report that the 14-year-old student is accused of killing two students and two teachers with an AR-style rifle in the shooting on Wednesday (September 4). Nine additional people were hospitalized. The deceased victims have been identified as Mason Schermerhorn, 14; Christian Angulo, 14; Richard Aspinwall; and Christina Irimie.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp addressed the shooting in a statement, saying the incident has hit close to home as he and his family are from Athens. He said, “This hits home for us. Being from Athens just down the road, having a daughter that taught first grade just a few years ago, this is our worst nightmare.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also released statements regarding the shooting and offered condolences to the victims’ families.
RELATED: Apalachee High School Mass Shooting Victims Identified
According to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, Colin Gray, the father of the Apalachee High School shooting suspect, told investigators that he purchased the rifle allegedly used in the killings as a holiday present for his son Colt Gray in December 2023.
One of the law enforcement sources told CNN that the father purchased the AR-15 rifle at a local gun store for Christmas. They also report that the father likely purchased the gun months after authorities first contacted the Gray family to investigate school shooting threats made online.
However, it’s reported that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia closed that investigation because the tip about the threat could not be confirmed with sufficient evidence.
RELATED: 14-Year-Old Apalachee High School Student Shares Harrowing Experience Of School Shooting Incident
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