Father of Georgia HS Shooting Suspect Convicted

A Georgia jury delivered a sweeping guilty verdict against a father whose teenage son allegedly carried out a deadly school shooting — a decision that is already reverberating through the national debate over parental responsibility, gun ownership, and criminal liability.

In Barrow County, jurors found 55-year-old Colin Gray guilty on all 27 counts, including second-degree murder and cruelty to children, in connection with the September 4, 2024 massacre at Apalachee High School in Winder — roughly 45 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning unanimous guilty verdicts. Observers reported that Gray showed little outward emotion as the decision was read aloud. He was later handcuffed and escorted from the courtroom wearing a blue sports coat and khaki pants.

Judge Nicholas Primm declined to immediately set a sentencing date, noting, “There are a lot of people who need to be notified and have a right to appear.” Gray now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars.

His son, Colt Gray — who was 14 at the time of the shooting — is accused of using an AR-15-style rifle that prosecutors argued should have been secured. The younger Gray remains in custody, and no trial date has yet been announced.

Prosecutors contended that Colin Gray ignored warning signs about his son’s behavior and failed to properly safeguard the firearm. Jurors were shown photographs of Colt’s bedroom that allegedly included images of Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Four victims were killed in the Georgia shooting: 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, along with teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.

In closing arguments, Barrow County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Brooks highlighted what she described as an act of extraordinary courage.

“Christian acted and became a hero. He attempted to push the shooter out of his classroom, and when he was shot, Christian’s last act on this earth was to shut the door to his classroom to protect his friends,” Brooks told jurors.

Taking the stand in his own defense, Colin Gray described a troubled teenager who felt bullied and struggled emotionally — but insisted he never believed his son posed a violent threat.

“I 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,” the older Gray told jurors.

He testified that he had purchased the rifle in an effort to steer his son away from excessive video game use and toward deer hunting — a common pastime in rural Georgia. Gray also acknowledged that his son’s behavior had worsened in recent months and said he had signed school paperwork seeking counseling services.

The case is part of a growing national trend in which prosecutors pursue criminal charges not only against alleged shooters but also against parents and other adults who may have had access to or control over firearms.

In a similar high-profile case, James Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter after their son, Ethan Crumbley, carried out a deadly shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit in 2021.

Legal analysts note that while parents have historically faced charges in rare cases, the increasing willingness of prosecutors to pursue aggressive theories of liability marks a significant shift in how the justice system handles school violence.

As the country continues grappling with tragic acts of violence, the Gray verdict raises profound constitutional and cultural questions: Where does parental responsibility end — and where does individual criminal accountability begin?