What To Know About the Apalachee High School Shooting

Earlier this month Winder, Georgia’s Apalachee High School suffered the state’s deadliest mass shooting. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, student Colt Gray, armed with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire at the school. This week, police released 911 calls from the shooting. 

On Wednesday at approximately 10:20 a.m., Colt left class to begin his rampage. Four people were killed. Among the victims were teachers Cristina Irmie, 53 and Richard Aspinwall, 39. Students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were also killed.   

Initial reports note that Colt’s mother, Marcee Gray, called the school at 9:50 a.m. that Wednesday morning. In the call, Ms. Gray reportedly had warned the school about an “extreme emergency” related to her son. Though details of the call are unclear, Barrow County School Resource Officers were notified to look for Colt. By then, however, Colt had excused himself from his classroom and proceeded to hide in the bathroom. According to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, it was during this time that the shooting began.

The Gunman

The 14-year-old gunman was apprehended alongside his father, Colin Gray. Mr. Gray, 54, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children. According to Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Colin Gray gave his son the weapon used in the shooting as a Christmas gift the year prior.

Reports show that Colt Gray had enrolled at Apalachee High School three days prior to the shooting. Further investigation into the 14-year-old’s life shows signs of a turbulent home environment. In May of 2023, investigators were alerted to alarming messages on a Discord server in which the user threatened to “shoot up a middle school.” Investigators found that the email associated with the user belonged to Colt Gray, then 13, but were unable to completely connect the two. When questioned at the time, Mr. Gray told investigators that he and his wife were no longer together and had faced eviction from their home.

Going Forward

The 911 calls from the shooting were released this week and show a disturbing rundown as the shooting unfolded.

During the investigation, Colt will be tried as an adult. Already, he has been charged with four accounts of felony murder and is awaiting additional charges pending a grand jury review.

The shooting sparked repeated calls for gun safety and mental health measures. Some lawmakers have expressed support for bipartisan legislation that outlines new gun safety measures. Republican Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns proposed introducing legislation that would promote safe gun storage and encourage gun safety training. He also proposed expanding access to mental health care across the state. Likewise, Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler proposed the introduction of safe storage measures and red-flag laws.

For more information on how to stay safe in an active shooter situation and active shooter safety resources, visit: Penn State Active Attacker Response Program or FBI Active Shooter Safety Resources.

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