The 14-year-old boy accused of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at a Georgia high school earlier this month had a troubling history that raised red flags last year—but law enforcement didn't act. Newly released bodycam footage shows Colt Gray, then 13, being questioned by Jackson County deputies in 2023 after they traced online threats of a school shooting to his family's former address.
Colt's father, Colin Gray, acknowledged that his son was an avid gamer who used the popular platform Discord, where the threats were posted. "He plays video games all the time," Colin told deputies, adding that his son had access to guns in their home, though he insisted the firearms were unloaded. "We do a lot of shooting. We do a lot of deer hunting," he said, showing a picture of Colt with blood on his face after his first deer kill, the Epoch Times reports.
Despite being informed of the threats, deputies left after Colt denied making them. "I have no choice but to take you at your word," one deputy said, warning, "if I find out otherwise, it’s a different story."
That "different story" unfolded in a horrifying way on September 4th, when Colt entered Apalachee High School and opened fire, killing four people—including two students—and wounding more than a dozen others, according to court documents. Authorities say Colt surrendered to school resource officers shortly after the shooting began, thanks to a new panic button system worn by teachers that alerted law enforcement.
Colt now faces four counts of felony murder, with more charges expected. His father, Colin, has also been charged for allegedly providing Colt with the gun used in the attack—the first time a parent in Georgia has faced such charges in connection with a school shooting.
At initial court appearances, both father and son were ordered to remain in custody. No pleas have been entered yet.
The FBI has since confirmed it received anonymous tips about a possible school shooting in Georgia but could not substantiate the claims at the time. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum stated that local deputies interviewed the Grays but found no basis for an arrest. They did, however, notify local schools to keep an eye on Colt—a warning that some schools claim they never received.
As the cases move forward, questions loom over whether the system failed to prevent this tragedy and how a young boy with known access to firearms slipped through the cracks to become a mass shooter.
