Discord account linked to Colt Gray expressed desire to shoot up school over transgender issues

Georgia school shooter Colt Gray was discovered to have had a Discord account that contained posts suggesting he was planning a mass shooting due to his grievances over trans acceptance. Gray had also researched previous school shootings, like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting carried out by Adam Lanza as well as the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018.

The posts on Discord, from 2023, referenced plans for a "future mass shooting," CNN reported. "I'm committing a mass shooting," a post read, "I'm committing a mass shooting and I'm waiting a good two to three years, and I'm ready." CNN reported that the poster then shared a picture of the gun he intended to use, before continuing to discuss the post. 

The reporter said that the post, attributed to Gray, was "expressing desires to target an elementary school, expressing frustrations with the acceptance of transgender people." 

"The account referenced Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter, and in separate posts shared a desire to target an elementary school and expressed frustration with the acceptance of transgender people," a report from CNN read.

CNN later revised their report, saying "The account referenced Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter, and in separate posts shared a desire to target an elementary school and expressed frustration that transgender people were being accepted in society."


CNN's first report on Gray's feelings on trans.

CNN's second report on Gray's feelings on trans.

Gray's father Colin was arrested and charged with 4 counts of Involuntary Manslaughter, 2 counts of Second Degree Murder, and 8 counts of Cruelty to Children. He had bought his son the gun that was eventually used in the Apalachee High School shooting. The family was contacted by law enforcement in 2023, and an excerpt of that transcript revealed that his father said "Colt's gay."

"I was trying to get him on the golf team," his father said per the transcript, "... oh look, Colt's gay. Just ridiculed him day after day."



Gray was a student at Apalachee High School. He was charged with four felony murder counts after four victims were killed. 

"He was just a good kid, but he lived in an environment that was hostile," Charles Polhamus, Colt Gray's grandfather, told CNN. "His dad beat up on him, I mean, I’m not talking about physical, but screaming and hollering, and he did the same thing to my daughter."

This article has been revised to note CNN's change in their reporting on the Discord messages linked to Gray.