Additional Coverage:
- Colt Gray told police he would never shoot up a school when they visited his house after FBI reported threats (newsbreak.com)
A Georgia teenager implicated in a deadly school shooting had previously assured law enforcement that he would never engage in such violence, after he was investigated over online threats made a year before the tragic event.
Colt Gray, 14, was previously on the FBI’s watchlist before he allegedly used an AR-style rifle to shoot at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The shooting resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers. Gray surrendered at the scene and is facing murder charges with a trial as an adult pending.
In May 2023, the FBI and local police had interviewed Gray and his father, Colin Gray, regarding threats made on the messaging platform Discord, which included gun photos, according to the FBI’s Atlanta office. These threats were traced back to Gray, who was 13 at the time.
When authorities visited the Gray residence in Jefferson, Georgia, Colt Gray mentioned that he had deleted his Discord account before moving to a new home. He expressed his concerns during the visit, denying any claims of threatening to commit a school shooting.
Further checks of Gray’s online activity revealed a new Discord account under a Russian username, linking to Adam Lanza, the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Colt’s father disputed any connections, stating neither he nor his son were associated with the email linked to the account or knew Russian.
Investigations also showed that the IP addresses connected to the Discord account came from various locations, extending beyond Georgia to New York and Virginia. Despite these findings, Colt Gray denied involvement and authorities concluded there was no probable cause for arrest at that time.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, along with the FBI, is now examining any connections between the previous threats and the recent school shooting. Colt Gray’s school history shows a pattern of frequent absences and limited interaction with peers, according to classmates.
The local community is mourning the loss of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, who were fatally shot in the incident.