A Georgia jury on Tuesday held a father criminally responsible for the actions of his teenage son who â while armed with an AR-15-style rife that had been kept inside their home â allegedly gunned down two schoolmates and two teachers.
The panel in Barrow County found Colin Gray, 55, guilty of all changes, which included second-degree murder and cruelty to children, connected to the Sept. 4, 2024, mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.
The alleged gunman, Colt Gray, is accused of using the firearm his father should have secured to carry out the slaughter about 45 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
The younger Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, remains in custody and a trial date has not yet been set.
Prosecutors accused Colin Gray of ignoring warning signs of his son’s potential violence and allowing him access to the high capacity weapon used at Apalachee High School.
The four slain were Mason Schermerhorn, 14; Christian Angulo, 14; Richard Aspinwall, 39; and Cristina Irimie, 53.
“Christian acted and became a hero,” Barrow County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Brooks told jurors in closing arguments.
“He attempted to push the shooter out of his classroom, and when he was shot, Christianâs last act on this earth was to shut the door to his classroom to protect his friends.â
Colin Gray, testifying on his own behalf, recounted incidents of his son feeling bullied at school and occasionally showing signs of rage.
Still, the dad told jurors he never considered Colt Gray to be a violent threat.
âI never thought that he would even have a thought process of bringing a gun to school or doing any kind of harm to anybody else. Well, on anybody at school,â the older Gray told jurors.
The prosecution of a parent for their child committing a school shooting does have precedent.
James Crumbley and wife, Jennifer Crumbley, were both found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2021 deadly shooting spree at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit by their son Ethan Crumbley.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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