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GBI arrests father of Apalachee High shooting suspect, charges him with murder

By
Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder, https://georgiarecorder.com

The father of Colt Gray, the suspect in Wednesday’s Apalachee High School shooting, has been arrested and is being held at the Barrow County, Ga. Detention Center, authorities announced Thursday.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that Colin Gray is now detained after he was arrested Thursday on charges of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children connected to the Wednesday morning mass shooting at the Barrow County school attended by his 14-year-old son.

The younger Gray also faces murder charges for allegedly firing the shots that killed two teachers and two students. Nine other people injured in the shooting are expected to make a full recovery, federal, state and local agencies reported Thursday.

The 14-year-old was arrested minutes after law enforcement stormed the school. He is accused of firing bullets from an AR-15 rifle with a collapsible stock police say was used to kill two 14-year-olds and two math teachers.

According to law enforcement officials, the 54-year-old Gray purchased the AR-style gun used in the shooting in December as a Christmas gift for his son. Shortly after the Apalachee High shooting, police confirmed the 14-year-old was also interviewed last year as a suspect after allegedly posting threatening social media messages targeting a school in Jackson County.

Stanley Dunlap has covered government and politics for news outlets in Georgia and Tennessee for the past decade. The Georgia Associated Press Managing Editors named Stanley a finalist for best deadline reporting. The Tennessee Press Association honored him for his reporting on the disappearance of Holly Bobo.

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