WINDER, Ga. — Opening statements begin Monday in the Georgia trial of a man accused of enabling the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in 2024.
Colin Gray faces 29 charges, including two counts of second degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of second degree cruelty to children.
Prosecutors say Gray gave his teenage son access to the gun used in the shooting despite warning signs.
The case is part of a growing number of prosecutions across the country where parents are charged after their children are accused in fatal school shootings.
FILE – Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, arrives to the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Winder,Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
According to the indictment, Gray provided his son, Colt Gray, with access to a firearm and ammunition “after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another.” Under Georgia law, second degree murder can apply when a child’s death results from cruelty to children.
The trial is being held in Barrow County, where the shooting happened. The defense sought to move the case due to pretrial publicity. Prosecutors agreed. The judge kept the trial in Winder but brought in jurors from neighboring Hall County. A jury was selected last week.
Investigators say Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time, planned the September 4, 2024 attack at the school northeast of Atlanta.
Authorities say he boarded a school bus with a semiautomatic rifle in his book bag, with the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board. Investigators say he left his second period class, came out of a bathroom with the gun, and began shooting in classrooms and hallways.
During a pretrial hearing, an investigator testified that Colin Gray had given his son the gun as a Christmas gift the year before and later bought a larger magazine so the weapon could hold more rounds.
Prosecutors have said Colin Gray knew his son was fixated on school shooters and kept a shrine in his bedroom dedicated to Nikolas Cruz, who carried out the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
FILE – Colin Gray, 54, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, 14, sits in the Barrow County courthouse for his first appearance, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that the teen’s parents had discussed their son’s fascination with school shooters but believed it was in a joking context rather than a serious threat.
An investigator also testified that Colin Gray knew his son’s mental health was deteriorating and had sought counseling help weeks before the shooting.
“We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don’t know what to do,” Colin Gray wrote about his son.
The trial is expected to continue this week.
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