The father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray said in a 2023 interrogation transcript recently released by police that his son was called “gay” by classmates.
Collin Gray, 54, has been charged in connection with Wednesday's school shooting in Georgia that took the lives of two students and two adults. Colt Gray, 14, is being tried as an adult for the shooting that killed four people and injured nine.
Georgia school shooting: New audio of suspect's father's encounter with police over online threats in 2023
According to his father, Colin Gray, in a recently released transcript of his police interview:[Colt’s] I've had a lot of experiences.”
“[Colt] “He just wants us to have a simple life. He should be excited about starting eighth grade. It's been so hard for him to go to school and not get bullied. Another thing since then, he's been talking to a couple of friends,” Gray said.
Colt Gray, who is charged with four counts of murder as an adult, leaves the Barrow County Courthouse after his initial appearance in Wednesday's shooting at Apalachee High School, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Georgia. (AP Photo/Bryn Anderson, Poole)
The call, received by investigator Dan Miller in 2023, portrayed 14-year-old Colt as someone who had been bullied and “taunted” by classmates at Apalachee High School.
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“I was trying to get him on the golf team…'Look, Colt's gay. He's dating that guy.' I was making fun of him every single day.”
Georgia is one of 42 states nationwide that allows criminal charges to be brought against parents on behalf of their children.
Collin Gray (54), the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray (14), made his first court appearance at the Barrow County Court in Winder, Georgia on Friday, September 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bryn Anderson)
Authorities allege that Collin knew and allowed his son, Colt, to have access to firearms in the home prior to Wednesday's shooting. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office had made multiple visits to the Gray home and had marked the 14-year-old as a suspect leading up to the shooting at Apalachee High School.
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According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Collin is charged with four counts of manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of child abuse.
Gray is being held in the Barrow County Jail.
