Parents face murder convictions across three school shooting cases
Parents in multiple school shootings face murder convictions for enabling firearm access to their sons.
Event / Security
Apalachee High School Shooting
September 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia that killed four people and injured nine. Shooter Colt Gray, 16, sentenced to life without parole in July 2026. His father Colin Gray convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing the weapon and enabling the attack despite warning signs.
1 reported locations
Daily activity
0 articles0 articles
2026-08-14 to 2026-11-11 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 25 Jul, 02:28 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
Colt Gray received rifle as Christmas present in 2023
Colt Gray received the assault-style rifle used in the Apalachee High School shooting as a Christmas present in 2023, months after he had been accused of threatening to commit a school shooting online.
Four killed in Apalachee High School shooting on September 4, 2024
A shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on September 4, 2024 killed four people: students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14 years old, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine others were wounded, including one teacher and eight students, with seven hit by gunfire.
Investigators found shrine to Parkland school shooter in Colt Gray's bedroom
Investigators found a shrine in Colt Gray's bedroom to Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Investigators also noted that Gray had a fascination with school shooters, including having a photo of the Parkland shooter on his wall.
Colin Gray sought counseling for son weeks before shooting
Colin Gray was aware that his son's mental health had deteriorated and sought help from a counseling service weeks before the Apalachee High School shooting, citing anger, anxiety and volatility. However, the father never followed through on getting help for his son. Colt Gray's mother, Marcee Gray, who was separated from Colin, urged him weeks before the shooting to secure his guns and restrict their son's access to them.
Sheriff's deputies interviewed Colt Gray about online shooting threat in May 2023
Sheriff's deputies interviewed Colt Gray and his father Colin Gray in May 2023 about an online threat linked to the son. Colt Gray denied making the threat. A sheriff's deputy urged the father to keep his guns locked up at the time.
Colt Gray left notebook with detailed plans for school shooting
A notebook left by Colt Gray in his classroom contained step-by-step instructions and a diagram to prepare for the assault. The notebook included an estimate that he could kill as many as 26 people and wound as many as 13 others. Investigators testified that Gray carefully plotted the shooting at the high school of 1,900 students.
Father Colin Gray convicted of murder for providing rifle to son
Colin Gray, the father of Colt Gray, was convicted in March 2026 on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for providing his son with the assault-style rifle used in the Apalachee High School shooting. He is scheduled to be sentenced in late July 2026.
Colt Gray pleads guilty to all 55 counts in Apalachee High School shooting
Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2026 to all 55 counts including murder in connection with the September 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The plea was entered without a negotiated agreement with prosecutors, leaving sentencing entirely to the judge. Gray faces a minimum sentence of life in prison with the judge deciding parole eligibility.
Colt Gray carried rifle onto school bus wrapped in poster board
During the Apalachee High School shooting, Colt Gray carried the rifle onto the school bus with the barrel wrapped in a poster board. He then left his second-period class and emerged from a bathroom with the rifle, shooting people in a classroom and hallway.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Mother sought firearm restrictions before son's school attack
Mother sought firearm limits; was later barred from contacting detained son.
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years for enabling son's mass shooting
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years for murder conviction in providing the weapon used in the school shooting.
Shooter threatened elementary school attack months before high school violence
Shooter threatened elementary school attack months before high school violence, reflecting ideological obsession with mass shooting perpetrators.
Father sentenced to 15 years for providing rifle in school shooting
Colin Gray sentenced to 15 years for providing the rifle used in the school shooting.
Shooter's online notoriety motive tied to mental distress and isolation
Gray's attack motivation combined mental health crisis with online mass shooter community radicalization.
Father's murder conviction underscores parental role in gun access
Father convicted of murder for supplying firearm used in school shooting, establishing parental accountability.
Gray sentenced to life without parole for Apalachee shooting
Colt Gray sentenced to life without parole; judge called actions deliberate and contemplated evil.
Warning signs preceded shooting: threat report and counseling sought
Law enforcement and family sought intervention before shooting; warning signs preceded the attack.
Shooting suspect's notebook revealed detailed attack plans and preparation
Evidence shows Gray planned the attack in advance, including a detailed notebook and shrine to a previous mass shooter.
Gunman pleads guilty to all 55 counts in school shooting
Shooter pleads guilty to all counts; father convicted for providing weapon.