A Georgia jury on Tuesday convicted Colin Gray, the father of the Apalachee High School shooter, Colt Gray, on murder and manslaughter charges for enabling his son to carry out the 2024 attack that left four people dead and several others wounded.
Jurors found the 55-year-old father guilty on 27 counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children, and reckless conduct after deliberating for only two hours. He could face a decades-long prison sentence.
The shooting occurred on September 4, 2024 when then-14-year-old Colt Gray used a rifle his father had given him as a Christmas present to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High school before police apprehended him. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a separate trial.
During the two-week trial, prosecutors argued that Colin Gray was criminally negligent because of the rifle he bought his son while also allowing him access to ammunition. They said the father ignored a bevy of red flags about his son’s mental state and obsession with school shootings.
BREAKING: Father found guilty after his son killed four people in a high school shooting in Georgia
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) March 4, 2026
Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray, 54, responsible in the Apalachee High School shooting pic.twitter.com/P4JO4gLk9q
The prosecution presented photos of Colt’s bedroom showing a shrine and posters honoring Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The jury heard testimony that the father had been warned multiple times about his son’s fixation on mass shooters and his anxiety and panic attacks.
Colt even texted his father weeks before the attack saying that “whenever something happens, just know the blood is on your hands.” He sent other aggressive messages in August 2024 that the prosecution characterized as threatening.
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Colin Gray, whose son is accused of killing four people in the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia, is found guilty on all charges https://t.co/OqgkygKXuO pic.twitter.com/zxAmIr1Bq3
— CNN (@CNN) March 3, 2026
Colt’s mother warned the school about Colt’s access to firearms and his passion for school shootings shortly before he started the attack.
The defense argued that Colin was a struggling single father who tried to get counseling for his son. He never believed Colt would carry out such an attack. He did research mental health facilities for his son, but did not respond when one contacted him.
Gray’s case is one of several recent examples of the authorities holding parents criminally responsible when their children commit mass shootings. Michigan parents James and Jennifer Crumbley were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after their son, Ethan, killed four classmates at Oxford High School in 2021. The parents had bought their son a handgun as a Christmas gift and failed to secure it. They also disregarded warnings about his mental health.
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