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**Georgia High School Reeling After Deadly Shooting, Suspect and Father Charged**
A tragic mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, has left the community in shock as details emerge about the troubled home life of the alleged shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray. Colt has been charged with the murder of two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. His father, Colin Gray, is also facing charges.
Colt is now facing four counts of felony murder and will be tried as an adult. His 54-year-old father, who reportedly gifted him an AR-15-style rifle for Christmas, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Reports indicate that Colt had an obsession with mass school shootings. Authorities questioned him last year over online threats about a school shooting. Despite the allegations, Colin Gray admitted to having guns at home, stating last year in FBI-recorded audio that his family engaged in shooting sports and hunting.
This week, investigators searching Colt’s bedroom found documents referencing the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, where Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people. Law enforcement sources informed The New York Times of Colt’s fixation on the event.
Compounding the tragedy, the GBI revealed that Colt’s parents were embroiled in a bitter separation and custody battle, with the family already on the radar of the department of family and children’s services. Reports suggest Colt was living with his father during the separation.
Colt’s maternal grandfather, Charles Polhamus, described the home environment as “hostile,” alleging that Colin Gray was verbally abusive towards Colt and his mother, Marcee Gray. Additionally, there were drug and alcohol problems in the home.
Marcee Gray has a history of legal troubles, including arrests for drug offenses. She was arrested in March 2007 for several vehicle-related misdemeanors, to which she pleaded guilty and received probation and community service. More recently, in November 2023, Marcee faced felony drug possession charges and associated misdemeanors after being found with methamphetamine, fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia.
Neighbors and family members have attested to persistent issues within the Gray household since they moved to the area in 2022. Neighbor Lauren Vickers recounted instances of Marcee locking Colt and his sister out of the house, leaving them to plead and cry to be let back in.
Marcee’s younger sister, Annie Polhamus Brown, has publicly criticized Marcee’s parenting. In the wake of the school shooting, she expressed her condolences to the victims’ families in a statement to The Independent, emphasizing her concern for those affected by the tragedy.