Fourteen-year-old charged in Georgia school shooting, father make first court appearance

The alleged teen shooter, Colt Gray, is being charged as an adult with murder in the fatal shooting Wednesday at Apalachee High School,

Published: September 6, 2024 8:58am

Updated: September 6, 2024 10:24am

The 14-year-old male charged in connection with the fatal Georgia school shooting earlier this week and his father made their first court appearance Friday morning. 

Attorneys representing alleged shooter Colt Gray and father Colin Gray, in back-to-back hearings, declined to seek bail, so their clients will remain in custody.

At Colt Gray’s hearing, he was advised of his rights along with the charges and penalties he faced before the court recessed, according to the Associated Press

However, the judge had to call him back into court to correct have mistakenly said he could receive the death penalty if found guilty of the charges when tried as an adult, specifically the four counts of felony murder.

Because Gary is a juvenile, the maximum penalty he would face is life without parole. The judge also set another hearing for Dec. 4, the wire service also reports.

Shortly after the teen's hearing, his 54-year-old father was brought into court. 

He was charged Thursday with second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the shooting Wednesday at Apalachee High School in the city of Winder, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. The charges are related to him allegedly proving access to guns to his son.

Four people were killed in the shooting – two students and two teachers – and nine people were injured.

The FBI reportedly interview the teen last year about online threats. 

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