Colin Gray, 54, of Winder, faces 29 criminal charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, multiple counts of cruelty to children, and reckless conduct.
The father of the 14-year-old suspect accused of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at a Georgia high school in September has pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges against him. Colin Gray, 54, of Winder, did not appear in court Thursday but his lawyers entered on his behalf the plea and waived his formal arraignment. He faces 29 criminal charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, multiple counts of cruelty to children, and reckless conduct.
Colin Gray is accused of giving his son, Colt Gray, access to an AR-style rifle he used to allegedly kill two students and two teachers and injure nine others during a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Sept. 4, the Daily Mail reported. Prosecutors said Colin had "knowledge" that his son "was a threat to himself and others" but still allowed him to have access to the firearm. The father allegedly also purchased ammunition, a tactical vest, and a laser sight for his son before the deadly shooting, witnesses testified.
He is being held at the Barrow County Jail, while his son, Colt, has been booked into a juvenile detention center in Gainesville, the Associated Press reported. Colt pleaded not guilty last month to 55 charges, including murder and 25 counts of aggravated assault at the high school. The teen is being tried as an adult. Colin Gray is the first adult to be charged in a school shooting in the state.
The shooting killed students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
According to investigators, Colt Gray brought a semiautomatic rifle onto a school bus after intricately plotting the shooting at the 1,900-student high school located northeast of Atlanta. He sketched diagrams in a notebook and compiled potential body counts. He exited his second-period class and allegedly emerged from a restroom with a rifle, shooting individuals in the hallways and classroom.
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