Father of Georgia Apalachee school shooter sentenced to 15 years in prison

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and The Associated Press, reported that Colin Gray, the 55-year-old father of the Apalachee High School shooter, was sentenced Thursday in Winder, Georgia, to 15 years in prison. Gray had been convicted in March of second-degree murder in the deaths of 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and of manslaughter in the deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.

The shooting occurred on September 4, 2024, when Gray’s son, Colt Gray, then 14, opened fire at Apalachee High School. Four people were killed, and Al Jazeera reported that a third teacher and eight students were injured. Colt Gray, now 16, was sentenced this week to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son a SIG Sauer SIGM400 rifle as a Christmas gift the year before the attack and ignored signs about the teenager’s mental state. The report said Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, testified that she had urged Colin Gray to secure the guns and keep them away from their son. Some victims’ relatives sought the maximum sentence, while defense lawyers had requested 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.

Judge Nicholas Primm, who handled both sentencing hearings, said Gray failed to act despite escalating warning signs, while also distinguishing the father’s conduct from Colt Gray’s actions. The case adds to a small but closely watched group of prosecutions seeking to hold parents criminally responsible after school shootings, including the Michigan case involving James and Jennifer Crumbley.