Father of Georgia High School Shooter Faces Murder Charges
The father of the school shooter at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, has become the latest parent to be charged in connection to their child's deadly actions.What was once considered an unlikely approach—charging parents for their child's crimes—now appears to be gaining acceptance among prosecutors. This latest move in Georgia is reminiscent of the case in Michigan when the parents of another school shooter, Ethan Crumbly, were charged for enabling their son’s crimes. The Crumbleys were convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year.
On November 30, 2021, then 15-year-old Ethan Crumbly opened fire on his classmates killing four students and wounding seven others in Oxford, Michigan. His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, became the first parents in America to be convicted of a mass shooting that was conducted by their child. Both parents were sentenced to at least ten years behind bars.
Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student at Apalachee High School, opened fire on his classmates earlier this month, resulting in the deaths of two students and two teachers. As he stood in front of a judge last week on charges of murder, so too did his dad. Fifty-four-year-old Colin Gray stood before the same judge and was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of cruelty to children. Together, these charges bring with them a maximum of 180 years behind bars. Neither Colin Gray nor his son have pleaded guilty to these charges.
Prosecutors say that had it not been for Mr. Gray, his son would not have been able to inflict harm on his classmates and teachers. Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, shared that the murder counts against Colin Gray are because Gray was "knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon."
The 14-year-old was gifted the AR-15 style rifle during Christmas by his father just seven months before the shooting ensued. It’s believed this was the weapon used in the deadly school shooting.
According to Georgia statute Section 16-5-1, second-degree murder occurs “when, in the commission of cruelty to children in the second degree, he or she causes the death of another human being irrespective of malice."
However, some experts and legal analysts say that these charges were brought prematurely, especially as facts of the case continue to emerge.
Earlier this week, reports emerged detailing that Colt Gray’s mother contacted the school, urging school counselors to get in contact with her son. The Washington Post details that the shooter’s mother, Marcee Gray, warned about an “extreme emergency” roughly 30 minutes before the shooting happened. She texted her sister the day after the shooting saying, “I was the one that notified the school counselor at the high school,” adding, “I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find to check on him.”
While there are no indications that the shooter’s mother will face any charges, the allegations against the shooter's father detail that he failed to intervene in his son’s actions that led to the rampage, not necessarily that he wanted the shooting to happen.
Parental responsibility laws are not new, and many states have some variation of parental responsibility laws on the books. These laws span issues concerning truancy, driving without a license, vandalism, and other charges. However, the murder charges Colin Gray faces could test the limits on parental responsibility in Georgia, as was done recently in Michigan.
